USA > Missouri > Chariton County > Historical, pictorial and biographical record, of Chariton County, Missouri > Part 5
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The political situation growing perilous, Mr. Clay, of Kentucky, moved that a Representative from each state be appointed to act jointly with the Senate committee, in an effort to adjust the difficulty. This committee was chosen, and Mr. Clay made chairman, the Senate also appointing seven of its members to act with the joint committee. This committee, on February 26, 1821, reported to each house the following:
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That Missouri shall be admitted into this Union on an equal footing with the original States, in all respects whatever, upon the fundamental condition that the fourth clause of the twenty-sixth sec- tion of the third article of the Constitution, submitted on the part of said state to Congress, shall never be construed to authorize the passage of any law, and that no law shall be passed in conformity thereto, by which any citizen of either of the states in this Union shall be excluded from the enjoyment of any of the privileges and immunities to which such citizen is entitled under the Con- stitution of the United States. Provided, That the Legislature of said state. by a solemn public act, shall declare the assent of the said state to the said fundamental condition, and shall transmit to the President of the United States, on or before the fourth Monday in November next, an authentic copy of the said act; upon the receipt whereof the President, by proclamation, shall
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announce the fact; whereupon, and without any further proceeding on the part of Congress, the admission of the said state into the Union shall be considered as complete.
The resolution was promptly adopted by both Houses, and on the 26th of the following June the Missouri Legislature passed an act declaring the assent of the state to the conditions of admission, and transmitted to the President a copy of the same. On August 10, 1821, by the proclamation of President Monroe, after a struggle of two and a half years, Missouri was formally admitted to statehood, taking rank as the twenty-fourth of the American Republic.
THE FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
According to the provisions of the constitution adopted by the convention, July 19, 1820, and in anticipation of the admission of the state into the Union, an election was held on the fourth Monday in August of that year, for the purpose of eleeting a Governor and other state officers, Senators and Representatives to the General Assembly, Sheriffs and Coroners and United States Senators and Rep- sentatives. The candidates for Governor were Alexander NoNair and William Clark, previously Governor of the Territory. Of a total vote of 9,132 votes, MeNair received a majority of 4,020 over his opponent. The Senators and Representatives elected to the General Assembly met in St. Louis in September and elected Thomas H. Ben- ton and David Barton to the United States Senate, but as the state was not formally admitted to the Union until August of the following year, they did not take their seats till December, 1821.
At this session the counties of Boone, Callaway, Chariton, Cole, Gasconade, Lillard, (afterwards Lafayette) Perry, Ralls, Ray and Saline were organized The seat of government was located at St. Charles, but in 1826 was removed to Jefferson City.
EARLY SETTLEMENTS.
STE. GENEVIEVE.
The first settlement of which we have any record in the state of Missouri, or rather what is now known as Missouri, was made about 1735 on the bank of the Mississippi river in the territory now known as Ste. Genevieve county and was so called for a French woman by the name Ste. Genevieve. The settlement was founded by Re- nault, the son of a celebrated iron founder of France, for the purpose of engaging in gold and silver mining. He transported with him two hundred miners, provided with the necessary tools and whatever else they needed to accomplish his object. During his passage he landed
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on the island of St. Domingo, where he purchased five hundred slaves, when he came up the river he established himself at Fort Chartres, about fifteen miles above where Ste. Genevieve now stands. Failing to find either gold or silver he discovered lead ore in large quaitities, and at once prepared rude furnaces for smelting it, transported it to Fort Chartres on pack horses, thence to France via New Orleans by bots. Notwithstanding Renault's old mines have long since over- grown with trees and covered with moss they have since been discov- ered by latter day prospectors.
ST. LOUIS.
In the year 1764 the second settlement was founded where the City of St. Louis now stands. In the year 1672 M. D'Abadie, who was Director General and Civil and Military Commandant of Louis- iana at that time, granted to a certain company of traders the exclus- ive right to trade with the Indians of Missouri, and in fact with the entire northwest, for a term of eight years. This company was headed by M. Pierre Laclede Liguest, generally known as Laclede, a man of great foresight, experience and ability, who left New Orleans in the summer of 1763, and arrived in Missouri the following fall. It will no doubt be remembered by the reader that all the French settlements were on the east side of the river except that of Ste. Genevieve and as a consequence included in the territory belonging to England. At the little village on the west side of the Mississippi river there was not a building with the capacity of holding one quarter of M. Laclede's merchandise. The commandant at Fort Chartres, M. DeNeyon, upon hearing of Laclede's dilemma, offered him a place for his goods until the occupatancy of the Fort by the English. Laclede readily took ad- vantage of this generous offer and repaired at once to Fort Chartres where he deposited his effects, and at once started out to look for a sight not far from the Missouri river suitable for his business. He rejected Ste. Genevieve, both on account of its distance from that river and its unhealthy situation. He was accompanied by his stepson, a lad of fourteen, named Augusta Chouteau, and explored the region thoroughly and was soon fixed upon the place of his settlement. After returning to the fort he assured DeNeyon and his officers that he had discovered a location where he would form a settlement, which might in years to come become one of "America's greatest and finest cities." His sagacious mind thus readily appreciated the advantages of this location. Navigation was open, and early in February, 1764, Laclede sent thirty men under the charge of Chouteau to the location desig
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nated, with orders to have the land cleared and to build a large shed for shelter, provisions and tools, also to put up some log huts for the men. On St. Valentine's Day (Feb. 14, 1764) work was begun clearing away the trees and brush where the beautiful, and one of the largest cities in America now stands-St. Louis. Early in the month of April, Laclede arrived upon the scene, chose a location for his own residence, and laid the plans for his village which he called St. Louis in honor of Louis XV, King of France, not knowing the territory had already been transferred to Spain, and then hastily returned to Fort Chartres to remove his goods, as the English garrison was ex- pected at any day. When Capt. Sterling, 1765, in command of the English troops, a company of highlanders, actually took the fort, St. Ange, French Commandant at the time, removed with his men to St. Louis, then recognized as the capital of North Louisiana. M. Aubry was acting Governor at New Orleans, vice M. D'Abadie, who died. Receiving, probably, the sanction of the former gentleman, St. Ange, assumed the reins of the government at St. Louis at once, and he so liberally conducted the affairs that a stream of immigration set in from Lower Louisiana and Canada, and notwithstanding the many hardships to be overcome during those olden times, the city of St. Louis, has steadily increased in population until to-day it has not a peer in the New World as a business center.
ST. CHARLES AND OTHER SETTLEMENTS.
In 1769, about five years after the founding of St. Louis, the first settlement made in North Missouri was made near where St. Charles is located in St. Charles county. The name given the settlement, and which it retained until 1781, was Les Petites Cotes, signifying Little Hills. The town site was located by Blanchette, a Frenchman, who built the first fort and established a military post at that point. Soon after the military post at St. Charles had been established, another old French village-Portage des Sioux-was located on the Mississippi just below the mouth of the Illinois river. The next settlement of any note was made on the Missouri river by a colony of Kentuckians, num- bering about one hundred anil fifty, who settled in what was known as Cooper's Bott on in Franklin county, and as time went on new settle- ments were opened up along the Missouri river until at the present time that stream is lined with large and small towns all through the state from St. Louis to Kansas City, The latter was laid out in '30, but its growth only dates from 1860, when it became noted as a western trading point of easy access.
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For convenience of reference a short table is appended to the early settlements of Missouri as follows, with the date and establish- ment of each in cases where it has been determined:
NAMES OF SETTLEMENTS.
DATES.
Ste. Genevieve, .. 1735 (?)
St. Louis, . 1764
Near St. Charles, 1765
Portage des Sionx. 1769
New Madrid,
1780
New Bourbon, 1789
Potosi,
Big River Mills, St. Francois Co. 1796
Near Farmington, St. Francois Co. 1797
Perry County, 1796
Bird's Point, 1800
Norfork, 1800
Charleston, 1801
Warren County,. 1801
Parkersville (Cote Sans Dessien,) 1801
Loutre Island, 1807
Boone's Lick, 1807
Cooper's Bottom, Franklin Co.,. 1801
EARLY MILITARY RECORD.
WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN IN 1812.
Notwithstanding the few inhabitants of Missouri were at a long distance from the scenes of the famous war between Great Britain and the United States which was declared by this country June 18, 1812, under the administration of President James Madison, they participat- . ed in many engagements with the Indians and were obliged to exercise ceaseless vigilance against this insidious foc. For a number of years the British traders had incited the red men against the white settlers of the state, which was at that time only a territory, and had supplied them with arms and ammunition. In July, 1810, W. I. Cole and two other men at Loutre Island were killed while trying to recover proper- ty stolen by the Pottawattomies. In 1815 the Sac and Fox Indians who had stolen horses from the same settlement were followed by a party of "rangers" led by Capt. James Callaway, for whom the grand old county of Callaway, was named, a grandson of the noted Daniel Boone in command. The captain and three of his comrades were killed.
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In 1813, Fort Madison, lowa, was abandoned and burned to prevent Indian occupation. During the same year the scattered settlements, where the counties of Montgomery, Lincoln, and Pike now are, were often plundered by the red men under the noted Black Hawk and other chiefs. In St. Charles county many bloody massacres occurred. But at length they were protected from further danger by the erection of a number of forts and strongholds against their enemies.
BLACK HAWK WAR, 1832.
In 1804 a treaty was made between the United States and the Sac and Fox nations of Indians, but however one old warrior of the Sacs, Black Hawk, who had fought with great bravery in the service of the British in the war of 1812, had always taken great exception to this treaty and pronounced it void. He established himself in 1831 with a chosen band of braves upon the disputed territory in Illinois and ordered the whites to leave the country at once, but instead of obeying the chief of the red men, fifteen hundred volunteers from that state, aided by General Gaines with a company of regulars, surprised the Indians and forced them into another treaty by which they gave up their lands and agreed to remain west of the Mississippi river. It was not long however until a band of these same Indians attacked a party of friendly Menominies camped at Prairie du Chien, murdering twenty- five and wounding many others, Brig .- Gen. Atkinson with a large company of regular troops from Jefferson Barracks, near St. Louis, was sent to chastise the blood thirsty murderers who had ruthlessly violated their treaty. After this Black Hawk, with his adherents re- crossed the Mississippi and established himself at Rock River, Keokuk. The rightful chief of the Sacs remained true to the treaty with the United States but Black Hawk's followers were bent upon revenge and plunder. May 14, 1832, a bloody encounter occurred near Dixon's Ferry. On account of the proximity of these hostilities to the Mis- souri border and fearing an invasion from the Indians, Gov. Miller or- dered Maj .- Gen. Richard Gentry, of Columbia, Missouri, to raise one thousand volunteers to start for the frontier at once if wanted. Orders were accordingly issued by General Gentry to Brig .- Gens. Benjamin Means commanding the Seventh; Jonathan Riggs, the Eighth, and Jes- se T. Wood, the ninth brigarde, Third division, on May 29th, 1832, to raise the first named 400, and each of the last 300 men. Each man was "to keep in readiness a horse with the necessary equipments, and and a rifle in good order, with a full supply of ammunition." Boone county at once raised five companies, and others were raised in Calla-
.
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way, Montgomery, St. Charles, Lincoln, Pike, Marion, Ralls, Clay and Monroe. Two of them, Capt. John Jamison's of Callaway, and Capt. David M. Hickman's of Boone were mustered in for thirty days' service in July, 1832, and placed under the command of Maj. Thomas Congers. This detachment, accompanied by Gen. Gentry in per- son, arrived at Palmyra July 10, and five days later at Fort Pike which is situated on the Des Moines river at the present site of St. Francis- ville, in Clark county, and on his arrival found that no hostile Indians had invaded that part of Missouri Gen. Gentry ordered the work on Fort Matson to be discontinued. On August 5th this detachment was relieved by two other companies under the command of Capt. Sinclair Kirtley of Boone, and Patrick Ewing of Callaway. Maj. Congers re- mained in command of the fort. In September, the Indian troubles having apparently subsided, the troops were mustered out of service on the northern frontier of Missouri. Black Hawk died in Iowa in 1838, at the age of about seventy years.
MORMONISM IN MISSOURI.
Without doubt one of the most striking features in the annals of Missouri was the progress of Mormonism from 1831 until the Mor- mons were driven out of the state by General Alexander W. Doniphan in 1838. Their Prophet, Priest and King, Joe Smith, seemed to act by appointment from on high, claiming that his mission was both of a trancient and spiritual nature. In 1831 he came to Missouri, where it was claimed the foundations of a kingdom were laid in Jack- son county, at Independence, which he named "The New Jerusalem." Smith and his followers entered several thousand acres of land in Jackson county, where he intended to more securely establish a church and to instruct his followers in its peculiar tenets and practices in a more effective manner. They published the Evening Star (the first newspaper in Jackson county) and made themselves so generally ob- noxious that the Gentiles, who were in the minority, became enraged to such an extent that they took the type and press from the office and threw them into the Missouri River; tarred and feathered the Bishop and two of his comrades, and otherwise gave the Mormons and their leaders to understand that they must conduct themselves in a more discreet manner if they wished to rest in peace. The distruc- tion of their newspaper and threats of otherwise maltreating the Mormons did not seem to avail much as on October 31, 1833, a deadly combat took place near Westport, which resulted in the killing of two citizens and one Mormon. On November 2, the Mormons arrived
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at a point two miles west of Independence, bent on destroying that place as a retaliation for the manner in which they had formerly been treated, but were repulsed by Gentiles who began pouring in from all quarters, and met them at that point and compelled them to lay down their arms and agree to leave the county with their families by Janu- ary 1, 1834. When they left Jackson county, they crossed the Mis- souri river into Clay, Carroll, Caldwell and other counties where they selected a location in Caldwell county for their town, to be known as "Far West," at which place they entered more land for their future homes, where they remained unmolested until 1838, when twoof their leaders purchased some land at De Witt, Carroll county, and settled there. It was a good point from which to forward goods and immi- grants to their town of Far West. As soon as the settlers around De Witt were aware of the fact that these parties were Mormon leaders, a public meeting was called which was addressed by some of the prom- inent citizens of the county. They did not do anything at this meet- ing, but at a subsequent meeting a few days later when a committee was appointed to wait upon Col. Hinkle, one of the leaders of the Mormons, and informed him of what they intended to do. Upon be- ing notified by this committee, Col. Hinkle became very indignant and threatened to exterminate all who should attempt to molest him or his saints, and at once recruits flocked to the town in countless numbers from their different settlements to be in readiness in case of trouble with the Gentiles. The attack by the Gentiles was planned to take place on the 21st day of September, 1838, and one hundred and fifty men were stationed near the town on that day. An encoun- ter ensued, but without serious effect when the Mormons fled to some log huts, where they could more securely resist the Gentiles who had returned to their camp to await recruits from Saline, Ray and other counties near by. After some days of discipline, the brigade pre- pared for an assault headed by Brig .- Gen. Congreve Jackson, Col. Ebenezer Price, Lieut .- Col. Singleton Vanghan and Major Sarshel Woods, but before the attack was made, two influential citizens of Howard county, Judge James Earickson and Wm. F. Dunnica, with the permission of General Jackson, met the Mormon leaders for the purpose of bringing about a reconcilliation without bloodshed, and induce them to leave the country in peace, which was finally agreed upon, and the Mormons without delay loaded up their effects and left for their town of Far West, in Caldwell county. The Mormons had no doubt suffered considerable, but the end was yet to come. Gover-
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nor Boggs, in 1838, issued a proclamation ordering Maj .- Gen. David R. Atchison to call out the militia of his division and enforce the laws. He called out part of the first brigade of Missouri State Militia, under command of General Doniphan and ordered him at once to the seat of war. Gen. Clark was placed in command of militia. The first engagement took place at Crooked River, but the principal fight took place at Haughn's Mills. Eighteen Mormons were killed and the bal- ance captured, while only one militiaman was wounded. The town of Far West was surrendered to General Doniphan in October, 1838. The leaders of the Mormons were taken in custody for trial while the remainder of their people were allowed to leave the state in a peace- able manner with their families. While en route to Boone county for trial Joe Smith made his escape but was afterwards, in 1844, killed in Carthage, III., with his brother, Hiram.
MEXICAN WAR, 1846 TO 1848.
The war between Mexico and the United States from April, 1846, to September, 1847, was caused by the revolt of Texas from Mexico prior to its admittance to the United States in 1845. Texas had not only revolted, but, claimed and carried into the United States a great deal more territory than had been conceded to her in the original Mex- ican arrangements. President Polk in November, 1845, dispatched Slidell, a Southern Congressman; to Mexico to confer with President Herrera, concerning some indemnity for Texas, also to negotiate for the territory, now California. The congressman was not received, owing to the fact that the soldier, Paredes, had succeeded the president of Mexico. General Zachary Taylor, then commanding the army, was at onec ordered by President Polk to advance through the disputed ter- ritory and take a position on the banks of the Rio Grande river, which he did near Metamoras, where he was attacked by the Mexicans under Arista and a part of his forces was captured April 23, 1846. While Gen. Taylor was engaged in Mexico Gen. Kearney marched onto and conquered the whole country now embracing New Mexico and raised the emblematic Stars and Stripes, and sent Doniphan to join Wool at Chihanhan. Near the middle of May, 1846, General Edwards of Missouri made a call for volunteers to join the "Army of the West" who were sent to Santa Fe with Gen. Stephen W. Kearney in com- mand. About June 18, complete companies had arrived at Fort Leavenworth, from Jackson, Lafayette, Clay, Saline, Franklin, Cole, Howard, and Callaway counties. Upon their arrival an election was held which made Alexander W. Doniphan, colonel; C. F. Ruff, lieu-
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tenant-colonel, and William Gilpin, major. These companies marched from Fort Leavenworth to Santa Fe, (of which march we have no rec- ord at hand) and the "Army of the West" from Missouri will ever be remembered in history for the fearlessness which they displayed in the Mexican war. In the carly part of the summer of 1846, Hon. Sterling Price, then a Missouri Congressman, resigned his office and was placed in command of another regiment of volunteers from Mis- souri, by President Polk to give reinforcement to the "Army of West." The requisite number of men was soon raised, with companies from Boone, Benton, Carroll, Chariton, Linn, Livingston, Monroe, Ran- dolph, Ste. Genevieve and St. Louis counties, and about the first of August were quartered at Fort Leavenworth. On their arrival an election was held and Sterling Price was made colonel. Governor Reynolds made another requisition for one thousand men to consist of infantry, in August, 1847, to be in readiness for a close march behind Colonel Price's army. Major John Dougherty was chosen for colonel, but the president countermanded the order under which the force was mustered before the receipt of marching orders. Capt. Wm. T. Laf- lann was mustered into the service of the United States at Independence, Missouri, in May, 1847, and served until the close of the war. He operated as far into Mexico as Santa Cruz De Rosales, where a hard battle was fought with great loss and defeat to the Mexicans. In July 1848, these forces were ordered to Independence, Missouri, and were mustered out in October of the same year.
EVENTS PRECEDING THE CIVIL WAR.
The presidential campaign of 1860 will ever be regarded as one of the most important in the history of the Republic of the United States, as the canvass of that year was one of the most exciting the country had ever experienced. There were four candidates in the field. Abra- ham Lincoln was nominated by the republican party on a platform in opposition of the further extension of slavery, which was declared to be the actual issue. The democratic convention met at Charleston, but was divided on the slavery question in the Territories, and, after a long and stormy session, the party was disrupted, and the delegates in favor of "Southern Rights" withdrew from the convention. They met twice, first at Richmond, and afterwards at Baltimore, where they suc- ceeded in nominating John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky, for president. Stephen A. Douglas, the apostle of popular sovereignty, wasnominat- ed by the Squatter Sovereignty democrats, while the fourth, John
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Bell of Tennessee, was chosen by the "American" party, or Constitu- tional Unionists, as their candidate.
As a result of this contest Mr. Lincoln was elected president. The leaders of the South declared that his election would be considered a good cause for a separation of the Union. It was now evident that under the new administration, all the departments of the government must pass into the power of the republican party. President Buchan- an did not favor a disunion, and did not consider that he had the right, constitutionally, to coerce a sovereign state. The time, therefore, which passed between the election in November and the inauguration the following March, was fully improved by the southern leaders.
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