The history of Detroit and Michigan; or, The metropolis illustrated; a chronological cyclopedia of the past and present, Vol I, Part 49

Author: Farmer, Silas, 1839-1902
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Detroit, S. Farmer & co
Number of Pages: 1096

USA > Michigan > Wayne County > Detroit > The history of Detroit and Michigan; or, The metropolis illustrated; a chronological cyclopedia of the past and present, Vol I > Part 49

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).

I have already written several letters to the commandants of Detroit and Illinois, to put themselves at that moment in a con- dition to transmit at the opening of navigation, for the victualling of the posts on the beautiful river, the largest quantity of provi- sions of all descriptions that they could spare, by restricting the settlers to their mere subsistence.

In the fall of this year, on November 12, 1757, a party of three hundred Canadians and Indians, going by way of Niagara, fell upon the German settlers or Palatines on the Mohawk Flats, killed forty, took one hundred and fifty captives, and carried off an immense quantity of goods and livestock. From what sources this party was gathered is unknown, but there are several reasons for believing that at least a portion of the force went from Detroit.

By this time the English had determined to make a second attempt to capture Fort Duquesne, and on

October 15, 1758, an attack was made by Major Grant. He was repulsed, but on the 28th of the following month General Forbes captured the fort, though only after it had been fired and abandoned by the French, who retreated to Detroit. A new fort, called Fort Pitt, was at once erected by the English. It was probably their success at Fort Duquesne that inspired the attempt to capture Detroit. Brief mention of this attempt is made in one of the publications of the Quebec Literary and Historical Society. The record says :

Sieur de Bellestre, having heard that the enemy were marching, put himself at the head of the Hurons and other Indians to give an attack to the advance guard, which he defeated. The Hurons gave signs enough of their bravery and made about twenty pris- oners, but the Ottawas disgraced themselves in scalping all those the French had killed.

The English next turned their attention to the cap- ture of Niagara, and preparations were therefore made by the French at Detroit to send provisions thither by way of the Beautiful River, as the Ohio was then called. This plan, approved at first, was afterwards set aside because the provisions, as one of the French officers sarcastically said, "were required for the private and invincible trade of some person in that very post itself." The same officer, who had probably been stationed at Niagara, says, "In the spring of 1759 one hundred and fifty militia, almost all belonging to Fort Duquesne, and who had win- tered at Detroit, were also detained under pretext of the necessity of making a ditch around the stock- ade fort, which tumbled down immediately."

On March 30, 1759, Governor Vaudreuil wrote from Montreal to M. Berryer :

As I am aware of the designs of the English against Niagara, I write M. de Ligneris that, supposing that place to be really be- sieged, M. Pouchot will retain under his orders three hundred Canadians whom I had designed for the Beautiful River, and that, according as he will find it necessary, he will call to his assistance all the forces from Detroit and other posts, whom I have ordered to rendezvous at Presqu' Isle.

Colonel Bellestre was at Detroit in May, only waiting for orders from Pouchot to go to his relief at Niagara. On July 24 a body of twelve hundred men, from here and elsewhere, attempted to reinforce that post, but were all captured or dispersed, and the next day the post was surrendered.

The capitulation of Niagara cut off communica- tion with the French posts at Venango, Presque Isle, and Le Bœuf, which were blown up, their garrisons retiring to Detroit.

The great number of troops thus concentrated here occasioned a scarcity of provisions. " Meat without bread or corn" was distributed to the troops, and there was much distress. These diffi- culties were finally overcome, and early in June, 1760, more French troops were sent hither, and with them were sent all the provisions, artillery,

234

THE FRENCH AND ENGLISH WARS.

ammunition, and merchandise that could be stored away in the bateaux. From this time Detroit became the great depot and stronghold of the West.

Meanwhile, on January 27, the English forces had landed near Quebec, and on September 8, 1760, Canada was surrendered to the English. On the next day Governor Vaudreuil wrote a letter to be delivered to the commandant at Detroit, in which he stated that the conditions of capitulation were particularly advantageous to Detroit; that all per- sons, even the soldiers, were to retain their property, real and personal, including their peltries. The soldiers were to be allowed to delegate to some resi- dent the care of their property, or to sell to either French or English ; or they might take with them all portable property. They were to lay down their arms, and agree not to serve again during the war.

On September 13 Major Robert Rogers, with two hundred rangers in fifteen boats, was sent from Montreal to take possession of Detroit and other western posts. He journeyed by way of the St. Lawrence and the Lakes. On his arrival at Presque Isle, he was joined by Captain Croghan and the Royal Americans under Captain Campbell. One division, under* Captain Brewer, with a drove of forty oxen, took the land route. The division under Rogers, which went by water, had a very disagree- able journey, the waves breaking over the boats and making their progress both difficult and dangerous. On November 7, in a cold, drizzling rain, they landed near Grand River, where they were met by Pontiac, who demanded how they dared enter his country without permission. Rogers replied that he came to drive out the French, who prevented peace between them. Pontiac warned him that he should " stand in his path " till the next morning. A formal council was held at that time, the pipe of peace was smoked, and then Pontiac accompanied Rogers on his journey. When still some distance from the mouth of the Detroit, Rogers sent a letter notifying Bellestre, the commandant at Detroit, of his ap- proach. On his arrival at a small stream near the head of Lake Erie, several Huron chiefs informed him that four hundred Indians were collected at the mouth of the Detroit, at the instigation of Bellestre, to oppose his passage. The Indians, however, returned to Detroit without troubling him, and soon after Rogers received a letter from Bellestre asking for a copy of the capitulation and the letter of Vau- dreuil containing instructions regarding it. The documents were forwarded by Captain Campbell, and Rogers pushed on towards the fort. When within half a mile, he received a message from Bel- lestre surrendering the fort. Lieutenants Leslie and McCormick, with thirty-six Royal Americans, were sent to take possession, and on November 29, 1760, Detroit passed into the hands of the English.

The French garrison, at the time of the surrender, consisted of three officers and thirty-five privates ; there were also seventeen English prisoners in the fort. The French soldiers were sent to Philadelphia and from there returned to France. On December 2, 1760, Captain Campbell wrote to Colonel H. Boquet:

The inhabitants seem very happy at the change of government, but they are in great want of everything. * * * The fort is much better than we expected. It is one of the best stockades I have seen, but the Commandant's house and what belongs to the King is in bad repair.

On December 9 Major Rogers left for Mackinaw, but on account of the ice in the St. Clair River, he returned on the 21st. On December 23, he de- parted for Pittsburgh, leaving Detroit in command of Captain Campbell.

Some of the Indians were pleased to see Detroit in possession of the English, but others, among them the Senecas and the Wyandotts, in June, 1761, con- spired to murder the garrison, but the attempt was unsuccessful.

Realizing that it was desirable to hold a council with the western tribes, Sir William Johnson, who was superintendent of the northern Indian tribes, arranged to go to Detroit, leaving Fort Johnson (now Johnstown, New York) on July 5, 1761, accompanied by his son, John Johnson, his nephew, Lieutenant Guy Johnson, Captain Andrew Montour, and a few Mohawks and Oneidas. At Niagara, on July 25, they were joined by Major Gladwin, with Gage's Light Infantry. Gladwin left Niagara on the 12th, and on August 19 Johnson followed with the Royal Americans, commanded by Ensigns Slosser and Holmes, and a company from New York commanded by Lieutenant Ogden. On Sep- tember 2 they arrived at the entrance to the Detroit River, and encamped opposite Bois Blanc Island. September 3 they reached Detroit, and were wel- comed by a discharge from the cannon at the fort. Sir William was lodged in the house which had been occupied by Bellestre, the best there was in the place. On Saturday the officers of the fort, among them Colonel du Quesne, dined with him. By this time the Indians began to assemble, and he com- menced to distribute the presents he had brought. On Wednesday, the 9th, he ordered seats out doors for a council, as there was "no house half large enough." The cannon fired at ten o'clock as a signal for the Indians to assemble, and they did not break up until five o'clock in the afternoon. On the IIth another council was held, and attended by over five hundred Indians. On the 13th, the final council was called, and on the 14th Sir William invited all the principal inhabitants to dine with him. Three days later he left Detroit.

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

THE CONSPIRACY OF PONTIAC.

THE transfer of the western posts from the French to the English did not please the Indians.

The French had given the Indians very substan- tial tokens of their friendly feeling, and the Indians had learned to respect them and their power. An experience of three years taught them that the Eng- lish gave but few presents, and these at irregular intervals, and that the English fur-traders paid too little for their furs and charged too much for goods. Because of these grievances, Pontiac, the Ottawa chief, formed the design of relieving the entire West of the presence of the English. In the latter part ot 1762 he commenced to enlist various tribes in his project ; and on April 27, 1763, at a council of Ottawas, Potowatamies, and Hurons, held at Ecorce, his conspiracy was planned. He secured the co- operation of several tribes, and some of the French inhabitants promised their aid.

In pursuance of his plans, about three o'clock in the afternoon of May I, Pontiac came to pay a visit to the fort. As he was in the habit of coming to the fort occasionally, no suspicions would have been aroused if he had come alone; but on this occasion he brought with him the unusual number of forty warriors, and was consequently refused admittance. Finally he was admitted with about a dozen of his followers, who strolled through the narrow streets, while the rest of the warriors amused the soldiers by dancing the pipe-dance outside the gate. Having completed his inspection of the fort and its defences, Pontiac retired. On the next day he summoned the Indians to a council, to be held May 5, at the Poto- watamie village, to arrange details for the attack. From this council all the women were excluded, and sentinels were placed about the village to prevent any betrayal of their plans.

Three days after, while visiting the Ottawa village, the wife of M. St. Aubin noticed several of the Indians filing off their guns. On her return to the fort she mentioned this fact to the blacksmith, who confirmed her fears by telling her that several Indians had recently been trying to borrow saws and files for purposes they did not seem willing to explain. The attention of Gladwin was at once called to these facts, but he did not seem to think them indications of evil. In the afternoon of the

next day, however, an Ottawa Indian, named Mohi- gan, came to the fort, sought an interview with the commander, and exposed the plot. The Pontiac Manuscript, an ancient French document written at this time, and found many years after in the garret of an old French house, between the plate and the roof, makes no mention of any other informant, but other annals say that an Ojibway girl, of great beauty, known by the name of Catherine, for whom Gladwin had formed an attachment, told him that Pontiac and sixty of his chiefs were coming to the fort for the pretended purpose of holding a council ; their guns, which had been cut short, were to be concealed under their blankets; and, on Pontiac's offering a peace-belt of wampum in a reversed posi- tion, the warriors were to fall on the garrison.

Early in the morning on the day after the plot had been revealed, fifteen Ottawa warriors came to the fort, and were noticeably anxious to ascertain the location of the English trading stores. Having been warned in time, Gladwin watched their move- ments, and at nine o clock the garrison was ordered under arms. An hour later, when Pontiac with his followers reached the fort, he saw at a glance the probable ruin of his scheme. On either side of the gateway ranks of red-coats stood, their bayonets glistening in the sun, while the polished brass of the cannon told of discipline and preparation. Even the fur traders and their employees, standing in groups at the street corners, were armed to the teeth, and the measured tap of the drum resounded on the morning air. Pontiac, however, could not give up his scheme. Entering by the north gate, about where the First National Bank is located, he, with his warriors, moved along the street, silent and stolid, but with war-whoops close at their lips and hatred raging in their hearts.

It was no part of Gladwin's policy to exhibit fear, and all the savages who came were freely admitted. Before twelve o'clock sixty warriors had gathered at the council-house. This was near the river, south of the present Jefferson avenue and between Gris- wold and Shelby Streets. On reaching the door they found Gladwin with his officers ready to receive them, and the observant sons of the forest did not fail to notice that each wore a sword at his side and

[235]

236

THE CONSPIRACY OF PONTIAC.

pistols in his belt. Pontiac and his warriors eyed each other with uneasy glances, and at last the chieftain said, " Why do I see so many of my father's young men standing in the streets with their guns?" Gladwin, through his interpreter La Butte, replied that he had ordered the soldiers under arms for the sake of exercise and discipline. The conference then opened, Pontiac, holding in his hand the wampum belt which was to give the fatal signal, he commenced by professing strong attachment to the English, and declared that he had come to smoke the pipe of peace and brighten the chain of friend- ship. In the course of his speech he raised the wampum, as if about to give the signal of attack ; at that instant Gladwin moved his hand, and im- mediately the clash of arms and the din of drums were heard at the door. Pontiac stood like one bewildered, till Gladwin, rising, drew aside his blanket, exposed the hidden gun, and sternly re- buked him for his treachery. He then assured the Indians that friendship would be extended towards them as long as they deserved it, but threatened swift vengeance for the first aggressive act. The council then broke up, and with mingled feelings of surprise and rage, the Indians retired.

Pontiac, it is said, suspected the Ojibway girl of revealing the plot, and sent four Indians to her wig- wam. They seized her, took her before Gladwin, and asked if it was not through her he had learned of the conspiracy. Of course, they obtained no satisfaction. They were, however, treated to bread and beer, and dismissed. Tradition says that they then took the girl to Pontiac, who, with his own hands, gave her a severe beating. She lived many years after, but became intemperate, and while in- toxicated fell into a kettle of boiling maple-syrup, and was fatally burned.

On the same day that the council was held, Lieu- tenant Robinson, Sir Robert Davers,1 and two sol- diers, while taking soundings at the head of St. Clair River, were captured by the Indians, and one ac- count says that the body of Davers was boiled and eaten. A letter from Captain Donald Campbell to Sir William Johnson, dated Detroit, June 9, 1762, thus alludes to this unfortunate officer : "Sir Robert Davers passed the winter with us; it was a great addition to our small society. Sir Robert is a very accomplished young gentleman and an excellent companion."

On Sunday, May 8, at five o'clock in the after- noon, Pontiac, with several of the principal chiefs, came to the fort, bringing a pipe of peace, as though to fully convince the garrison of his friendship and sincerity. The next day, at seven o'clock in the

morning, six of the Indian warriors came, but see- ing the garrison under arms they soon went off. The same day, about ten o'clock, fifty-six canoes, with seven and eight men in each, crossed the river from their camp on the Canada side, coming toward the fort. The gates were shut at once, and the in- terpreter sent to tell them that not more than fifty or sixty chiefs would be admitted at a time. Pon- tiac told the interpreter to return and say that unless all his people were given free access to the fort, none of them would enter it; and that the English might stay in their fort, but the Indians would keep the country. Going to the house of an old English- woman named Turnbull, who with her two sons lived on the common and cultivated seven or eight acres, they proceeded to put their threat into execu- tion. The shrieks of the inmates and the yells of the Indians soon warned those within the fort that the first blood had been shed at Detroit.

The Indians next proceeded to Hog Island, where they killed twenty-four cattle belonging to the gar- rison. They also massacred James Fisher, his wife, two children, and two soldiers who were on the island. Some accounts say that two of Fisher's children were carried off as captives, and that four soldiers were killed, also a man named Goslin and Fisher's servant. In the afternoon Pontiac moved his entire camp to this side of the river. The number of Indians under his direction at this time is variously estimated at from six hundred to two thousand.

Very early in the morning of the roth the savages began to fire on the fort and on the vessels Beaver and Gladwin which lay in front of the town. They gathered in large numbers behind several buildings outside of the fort, but within easy range, from whence they shot into the stockade. The garrison had but one cannon fit for use ; this was loaded with red-hot spikes, and fired at the houses behind which the Indians had gathered ; the buildings were soon wrapped in flames, and the disconcerted savages fled amid the jeers and cheers of the soldiers.

Gladwin thought the whole affair but a sudden freak of temper, which would soon subside ; and being in great want of provisions, he resolved to open negotiations in order to obtain supplies. The interpreter, with Messrs. Chapoton and Jacques Godfroy, was dispatched to the camp of Pontiac to demand the reason of his conduct, and to declare the commandant's readiness to redress any real grievance. La Butte and his companions soon came back to the fort, saying that peace might readily be had by making the Indians a few presents. At Pon- tiac's suggestion, Major Campbell, Lieutenant Mc- Dougall, and others went to his camp for the purpose of holding a council with him. M. Gouin warned them that treachery was meditated, but they con- cluded to go, and paid dearly for their temerity, for

1 The name of this officer is sometimes given as Davis and some- times as Danvers. Davers, however, is probably correct.

237

THE CONSPIRACY OF PONTIAC.

Pontiac at once seized them and detained them as prisoners in the house of M. Meloche. Some of the French who sympathized with Pontiac advised the garrison to escape on board the vessels, saying that the Indians would surely capture the fort. At one time it looked as though their words would prove true, for the Indians again surrounded the stockade, and kept up an incessant firing from morning till night ; during the same day the soldiers shot red-hot bolts at two barns which afforded shelter to the Indians, and the buildings were consumed, and at night a party sallied out and burned other houses which had pro- tected the Indians. As a further measure of safety, the baggage of the garrison was carried aboard the vessels, with the understanding that, at a given sig- nal, they were to sail for Niagara.

The next day, May 13, Mr. Hopkins, captain of a new company, with forty volunteers, went out and set fire to other houses near the fort, and all except two were burned. As soon as this company re- turned, Lieutenant Hayes with thirty men went out and set fire to two barns behind the fort. On the following day twelve of the most respectable French inhabitants went to Pontiac and besought him to stop the war. The same day a sergeant, with twenty men, set fire to two more barns. On May 15 an officer with forty men went out and destroyed a house belonging to M. La Butte ; they also cut down orchards and leveled fences until the ground about the fort was clear and open.

Meanwhile the siege went on. Pontiac endeavored to prevent supplies from reaching the fort, by warn- ing the inhabitants, under penalty of death, not to carry provisions there. Had his orders been obeyed, the garrison would have been compelled to abandon the post; but the friendly services of some of the inhabitants on both sides of the river supplied their wants. M. Baby, a prominent habitant proved him- self a friend in need, providing the garrison with cattle, hogs, and other supplies, which he brought at night from his farm to the fort. There was, how- ever, pressing need of larger supplies and reinforce- ments, and on May 21 the schooner Gladwin was dispatched to Niagara to hasten their coming. Meanwhile, in order to provide weapons for de- fence, the iron and steel from the warehouse were taken to the blacksmith, and on May 23 two men began to work this material into clubs, lances, and hooks, and though the weapons were rude, there is no doubt that, had they been needed, they would have done good service in the hands of the traders and their employees.

As the siege progressed provisions became every day more scarce, and on May 24 Lieutenant Hay and Judge Le Grand searched all the French houses for superfluous articles of food. Receipts were given for what was taken, and all that could be collected

was deposited in the public storehouse. Supplies could be brought in only from the river-side, and the soldiers who went thither for any purpose were con- stantly fired upon by the Indians.

On May 28 the Indians erected a barricade of tim- ber on the west side of the town near St. Martin's House, in after years known as the Cass House on Cass Farm; the soldiers discovered it, sallied out, and it was soon destroyed. On May 30 the long- looked-for and long-delayed boats, with the English flag flying, were seen coming up the river, and the guns of the fort and the cheers of the garrison bade them welcome. Their joy was of short duration, for it was soon discovered that the boats were in possession of the savages. They had been captured by the Indians while the detachment was about to encamp at Point Pelee, only two bateaux out of ten escaping. One of the two saved contained seven barrels of pork and a barrel of flour. On the next day Pontiac's forces were increased by the arrival of two hundred Indians from Saginaw. On June 2 Gladwin received, through an English coureur de bois, a letter sent by Major Campbell, who was still in the hands of the Indians. The letter had been captured with the barges the last of May, and was enclosed with one from an officer at Niagara to a friend at Miami. It said peace had been concluded by the treaty of St. Germain-en-Laye. This was, indeed, good news, and though there were savages outside, there was joy inside the fort; in the evening an instrumental concert was given, and the sentinels paced their rounds with firmer tread.

Early on the morning of June 16, for the first time since the siege, the Angelus was rung, and the measured strokes of the sweet-toned bell, repeated three times o'er, morning, noon, and night, soothed and quieted the inhabitants of the beleaguered town. During these days the Indians had surrounded and captured Mackinaw, and on June 18 Father du Jaunay, a Jesuit priest, brought letters from the captured officers telling of the disaster. He left the fort on June 20, and reached Mackinaw June 30. In the fort provisions became increasingly scarce, and on June 22 Commissary Hay and the judge made their fourth round collecting provisions from the inhabitants. On June 26 several soldiers re- ported that two Indians had been seen the previous night entering a house. Captain Hopkins with twenty-four men went out and surrounded the house, but instead of Indians they found two sows and their pigs. They took them to the fort,-the prize being a better one than they had expected to seize.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

The history of Detroit and Michigan; or, The metropolis illustrated; a chronological cyclopedia of the past and present, Vol I, Part 49

Author: Farmer, Silas, 1839-1902 Publication date: 1889 Publisher: Detroit, S. Farmer & co Number of Pages: 1096

Author: Farmer, Silas, 1839-1902
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Detroit, S. Farmer & co
Number of Pages: 1096