USA > Mississippi > School history of Mississippi; for use in public and private schools > Part 8
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* Claiborne's Mississippi, pp. 240-241.
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Poindexter argued that the case should not be tried by the territorial court, and insisted that it be referred to a United States court. Burr escaped before the question had been decided, and Governor Williams, who had just returned to the Territory, offered a reward of two thousand dollars for his recapture. He was caught near Fort Stoddard, on the Tombigbee, and turned over to the Federal authorities .*
Summary
1. On the 10th of May, 1800, Congress gave the qualified voters of the Territory authority to elect a house of representatives, which, with the governor and legislative council, was to consti- tute the general assembly. A property qualification was required for voting and holding office. The Territory was represented in Congress by a delegate chosen by the council and house of repre- sentatives.
2. In 1802 the claims of Georgia to the country to the west of that State proper were extinguished.
3. Governor Claiborne's administration (1801-1805) was char- acterized by (1) the acquisition of " The First Choctaw Cession "; (2) an organization of the militia; (3) the suppression of law- lessness; (4) troubles with the Spaniards; (5) settlement of the Georgia claims; and (6) the extension of the territorial limits to the southern boundary of Tennessee.
4. Governor Williams' administration (1805-1809) was char- acterized by political dissensions and by the arrest and trial of Aaron Burr (1807).
CHAPTER XV
THIRD STEP IN TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT (1808-1817)
133. Governmental Changes .- By an actt of Congress, approved January 9, 1808, the requirements for voting
* See Claiborne's Mississippi, pp. 278-294; Goodspeed's Memoirs of Mississippi, Vol. I., pp. 132-133. A graphic account of the cap- ture of Burr by N. Perkins, his captor, will be found in the American Historical Magazine, Vol. I., p. 141.
t This act is given in Poore's Charters und Constitutions, Part II., p. 1052.
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were changed so that it could be exercised by any white male person in the Territory above the age of twenty-one who had lived therein for one year, or had been a citizen of the United States, and who owned fifty acres of land or a town lot valued at one hundred dollars. It authorized the general assembly of the Territory to apportion the repre- sentatives of the counties according to the population, but provided that, until there should be six thousand white in- habitants of full age in the Territory, the number of repre- sentatives should not be more than twelve nor less than ten. This act also took from the general assembly the power to elect the delegates to Congress, and gave it to the citizens of the Territory that were qualified to vote.
134. Administration of Governor Holmes .- Governor Williams grew more unpopular daily, until he was finally removed by President Madison (March, 1809). David Holmes was then appointed governor of the Territory. He was a native of Pennsylvania, but had lived in Virginia from childhood, and had represented the famous counties of Rocking- ham and Shenandoah in the lower house of Congress for several years before this appoint- ment. His popularity caused many of his friends to move from Virginia to the new Territory. DAVID HOLMES His term of public service in Mississippi embraced. eighteen of the most eventful years in the early history of the Territory and State. The fact that, after having served as governor to the end of the territorial period, he was elected by the people to be the first governor of the State of Mississippi shows the tact and ability with which he discharged his duties. He had a
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HISTORY OF MISSISSIPPI
winning manner, a mild disposition and a high sense of honor. In his administration as territorial governor the limits of Mississippi were extended to the Gulf coast, and the country was stirred up over the horrors of a bloody Indian massacre and over the fear of an attack from the British .*
135. Revolt Against Spanish Rule in West Florida .- When the line between the United States and Spain was surveyed, many American settlers, very much to their dis- appointment, found themselves in Spanish territory. The fact that the Territory of Mississippi was rapidly advancing, while West Florida was not, increased their dissatisfaction. The United States claimed that they had acquired by the Louisiana purchase (1803) a right to that part of the Gulf coast west of the Perdido River. The Spaniards insisted that Pearl River was the eastern boundary of Louisiana, and placed a strong military force at Mobile and Pensacola. In the meantime other Americans were settling in the disputed territory and increasing the opposition to the Spanish government. They finally made an unsuccessful attempt (1805) to free themselves from Spanish rule. Five years later they seized the Spanish fort at Baton Rouge, declared their independence, and organized a State govern- ment under the title of the independent State of West Florida, with Fulwer Skipwith as governor. They adopted a flag and sent parties throughout the province of West Fiorida to enforce obedience to their government. They promptly applied to the United States for admission as a sovereign State, or to be annexed to the Mississippi or the Orleans Territory. In a proclamation (October 29, 1810), President Madison declared that West Florida was em- braced within the limits of the Louisiana purchase, and directed the governor of Louisiana to take possession of
· See Claiborne's Mississippi, pp. 302-303, 315, et seq.
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the same. In response to this proclamation Governor Claiborne promptly led several companies of volunteers, chiefly from Mississippi, into West Florida and, without opposition, hoisted the flag of the United States at Baton Rouge and other places, and declared the country to be a part of Louisiana. By an act of the legislature of Louisiana this country was divided into seven parishes, two of which- Biloxi and Pensacola-embraced the greater part of the Gulf coast of Mississippi and Alabama .*
136. Disorders on the Gulf Coast (1810) .- During the time between the overthrow of the Spanish government and the establishment of the American rule, the coast of Mississippi was in a state of lawlessness. Bands of robbers roved through the country, plundering the inhabitants. They carried the flag of West Florida and compelled the people to swear allegiance to it. The Spanish forces had retired to Mobile, where they remained until they were forced to evacuate the place (April, 1813).
Upon hearing of the distressing condition of the inhabi- tants of the coast, Governor Claiborne sent a special agent to them, carrying commissions to the most influential men of that section, which authorized them to act as justices of the peace. Upon reaching this country the agent found that the disorders had greatly diminished, and that the people were much relieved to learn that they would pass under the control of the United States. He made a long and interesting reportt to Governor Claiborne, in which he said :
" The population of Biloxi Parish may be estimated at 420, Pascagoula at 350, chiefly French and natives of the
* See Claiborne's Mississippi, p. 304. Read, also, Chamber's A Short-Lived American State in the Magazine of American History, Vol. XXVII., pp. 24-29.
See Claiborne's Mississippi, pp. 305-309.
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HISTORY OF MISSISSIPPI
country-the most primitive, simple, and contented people I have ever seen. They appear to be greatly pleased to be under the protection of the United States."
137. West Florida Divided Between Louisiana and Mis- sissippi .- On November 20, 1811, a petition, signed by four hundred and eleven inhabitants of West Florida, was presented to the national House of Representatives, pro- testing against the addition of their country to Louisiana, and asking that it be added to the Territory of Mississippi. Two sentences from this interesting document read as fol- lows: " Your petitioners are aware of the policy suggested by some, of adding us, who are all Americans, to the people of the Territory of Orleans, who are chiefly French, in order to counteract the French influence. We are all Americans by birth and in principles; but if we are united with the Territory of Orleans we shall be subjected to all the incon- veniences and miseries resulting from a difference of people, language, manners, customs, and politics." They
argued, further, that the geographical and relative situation of West Florida and the Mississippi Territory, which were separated by only an ideal boundary (31°), pleaded power- fully for a union of the two. The Hon. George Poindexter, the territorial delegate from Mississippi and chairman of the committee to whom this petition was referred, made a report (December 17, 1811), in which the committee recommended that Congress change the limits of Mississippi by adding to it all of West Florida, and by taking from it the region north of a line running through the mouth of the Yazoo, which region had been added to this Territory in 1804 .*
138. A Compromise .- The recommendation of the com- mittee was defeated, however, largely through the efforts
*American State Papers, Vol. XXI., pp. 155 and 163-164.
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THIRD STEP IN TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT
of Governor Claiborne, who wrote the following letter to Mr. Poindexter :
" Success attend your efforts to bring in Mississippi, but I cannot approve your wish to attach the whole of West Florida. Had you proposed that Orleans Territory should extend eastward to Pearl River, and up to the thirty-first degree, and the district from the Pearl River to the Perdido, be attached to the Mississippi Territory, I should have made no opposition. But your demand for the whole is rather extravagant, and would be greatly injurious to the interests of Louisiana. I, myself, would prefer the Perdido for our eastern boundary, and there are strong reasons for the claim. But we will compromise and take as far as Pearl River, and leave to you the country on the Pascagoula and Tombigbee, and the custody of one of the great avenues of western commerce, the Mobile River."
By an act of Congress, approved April 14, 1812, this country was divided between Mississippi and Louisiana, the former receiving the part between the Pearl and Perdido rivers, and the latter that between the Pearl and Mississippi rivers. This was the last addition of territory to Mississippi, and embraced that part of the present States of Alabama and Mississippi south of latitude 31°. The importance of it to the two States cannot well be overesti- mated, since it gave them a frontage on the Gulf coast ..
139. Colonel F. L. Claiborne .- In 1812 Governor Holmes ordered a certain number from each regiment of the terri- torial militia to meet at Baton Rouge. Here they were organized into a brigade and placed under the command of Colonel F. L. Claiborne .* In :813 Colonel Claiborne was made brigadier-general, and in June of that year he was
* For a sketch of General Claiborne's life see Claiborne's Mississippi, p. 333 et seq. For an account of the Sabine Expedition see same, pp. 264-266, 309-314.
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HISTORY OF MISSISSIPPI
ordered to march to Mount Vernon, on the Alabama River, " to repel an attack that may be made on any part of the frontier of the Mississippi Territory, either from Indians, Spaniards or English." He reached Mount Vernon with his command of six hundred volunteers on July 30th, and found the people of that part of the Territory greatly alarmed over the prospects of a bloody war with the Creek Indians.
140. Sir William Dunbar .- The year 1810 ended the active life of this learned Mississippian. He was born in Scotland and educated in Glasgow and London. In 1773 he settled in what was then the British Province of West Florida, near Baton Rouge. He afterwards re- moved to a place nine miles south of Natchez and opened the celebrated plantation called "The Forest," where he lived more than twenty years. Although he was the most extensive and successful planter in the Natchez District, his greatest title to distinction rests upon the results of his scientific investigations. He was a member of the Ameri- can Philosophical Society, and to Volumes V. and VI. of its Transactions he contributed fifteen articles, one of which was translated into the German and published at Leipsic. He numbered among his correspondents the foremost scientists of his time-Herschel, Hunter, Bartram, Ritten- house, and Rush. The lasting results of his life work may be summarized as follows: (1) He helped to locate and to survey part of the present boundary line between Missis- sippi and Louisiana; (2) he introduced the use of circular rows in the cultivation of rolling land; (3) he invented the screw press for packing cotton, and helped to perfect the process of packing it in square bales ; (4) he made the first accurate meteorological observations in the Valley of the Mississippi ; (5) he made a critical study of the Mississippi River and its Delta; (6) he made important contributions
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to geographical knowledge by determining the latitude and the longitude of many places; (7) he was the first to give a scientific account of the Hot Springs and an analysis of the water .*
141. Territorial Delegates in Congress .- The Hon. George Poindextert represented the Territory of Mississippi in the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth Congresses (1807-1813). He was succeeded by Dr. William Lattimore, who served until the end of the territorial period. Through Dr. Latti- more's able efforts an act of Congress was passed March
* For a fuller account of the life of this great man, see Clai- borne's Mississippi, pp. 143-145; Riley's Sir William Dunbar, The Pioneer Scientist in Mississippi, in Publications of Mississippi Historical Society, Vol. II., pp. 85-111.
It has been incorrectly asserted that this great scientist was the first man to direct the attention of the world to the manufac- ture of cotton seed oil. As early as 1783 a scientific society of Great Britain offered a gold medal to any planter " in any of the British Islands of the West Indies " who would manufacture a ton of cotton seed oil and make from the remaining seed "five hundred pounds of hard, dry cakes as food for cattle." This prize was offered annually from 1783 to 1789, inclusive. See Transaction of London Philosophical Society, Vol. I., p. 251, sec. 175; also, Vols. II., III., IV., V., VI., VII.
¡ Poindexter came to the Territory from Virginia, his native State, about the close of 1802. In less than a year he was ap- pointed by Governor Claiborne attorney-general for the district west of Pearl River, and held this position until 1807. In 1806 he was chosen by the legislature as territorial delegate to Con- gress. In the year following he served as counsel for the United States in the prosecution of Aaron Burr. In 1808 he was re-elected territorial delegate by the citizens of the Territory. In the tenth Congress he made himself famous by his reply to the secession speech of Josiah Quincy of Massachusetts. His services in Con- gress continued until 1813, when he declined re-election and accepted a position on the supreme bench of the Territory. (See Claiborne's Mississippi, Chapter XXX. For an account of the legal and judicial history of the territorial period, see Goodspeed's Memoirs of Mississippi, Vol. I., pp. 102-111.) 8
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HISTORY OF MISSISSIPPI
1, 1817, providing that the western part of the Territory of Mississippi should be formed into the State of Mississippi.
142. Population of the Territory .- The census of 1810 showed the population of the Territory of Mississippi to be 42,352-almost five times as many as in 1800. By a third census, taken in 1816, the total population was repre- sented to be 75,512,* of whom 45,085 were white, 366 free people of color, and 30,061 slaves. This rapid increase in population may be partly accounted for by the fact that the limits of the Territory were extended each time before another census was taken.
In 1816 there were three principal settlements in the Territory. The oldest and largest of these was on the Mississippi River, the next in size and importance was on the Tombigbee, and the other was on the Bend of the Ten- · nessee. There were a few large settlements on Pearl River, but scarcely any of importance between that river and the Tombigbee. At this time the principal towns of Mississippi were Natchez, Washington, Mobile, and St. Stephens.
143. Creation of New Counties .- In 1809 the territorial `legislature created four new counties-Wayne, Warren, Franklin, and Amite. Three years later (1812) the newly added Gulf Coast region was organized into the counties of Jackson and Hancock. In 1814 Lawrence county was formed out of a part of Marion. The following year Pike county was organized.
Summary
1. In 1808 the qualifications for voting were changed, and the general assembly was authorized to apportion the representation of the counties. The election of the delegate to Congress was taken from the assembly and bestowed upon the citizens of the Territory.
*American State Papers, Vol. XXI., p. 408.
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WAR WITH CREEK INDIANS AND THE BRITISH
2. The principal events of Governor Holmes' administration (1809-1817) were (1) the successful revolt of West Florida against Spanish rule ; and (2) the extension of the limits of the Territory over part of West Florida.
3. Sir William Dunbar, a citizen of Mississippi in the terri- torial period, rendered many valuable services to the country.
CHAPTER XVI
WAR WITH THE CREEK INDIANS AND THE BRITISH
144. The Creek War (1813) .- In the summer of 1811 Tecumseh, the great chief of the Shawnee Indians, crossed the Ohio with twenty armed and mounted warriors and visited the Chickasaws, Choctaws, Creeks, and Seminoles, to get them to form an alliance with a view of going to war against the United States. In the many councils which he held with these tribes, he declared that they must unite in order to preserve their homes and their lands against the white people. He urged the importance of joining the British in the war that was inevitable. At a grand council of the Creek nation (October, 1811), he made a very im- pressive speech to the Creeks. This speech, in connection with several other exciting causes, so acted upon the war- like spirit of the Creeks that by the summer of 1813 a large part of their nation took up arms against the Americans .*
But the zeal of Tecumseh and the strong arguments which he used had no effect on the Chickasaws and Choc- taws, who not only refused to join the hostile Creeks, but gave aid to the Americans when the conflict came. If they
* For fuller accounts of the causes of the Creek War and the battles that took place, see Halbert and Ball's Creek War of 1813, pp. 25-281; Claiborne's Mississippi, Chapters XXVII. and XXVIII .: Claiborne's Life of Sam Dal". Chapters IV. to VIII .; Hamilton's Colonial Mobile, Chapter XLIII .; Pickett's History of Alabama.
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HISTORY OF MISSISSIPPI
had done otherwise the whole southern frontier would soon have been drenched in blood. The people of Mississippi and Alabama should never forget that when their fore- fathers were the pioneers of American civilization in " the old historic Southwest," they were befriended by the pow- erful Choctaw nation, who, according to their national tradition, have never shed the blood of white men in war.
145. Battle of Burnt Corn .- Early in July, 1813, a body of Creek warriors went to Pensacola, where they received from the Spanish governor lead and powder for use against the Americans. The inhabitants along the Tombigbee and Tensaw rivers became greatly alarmed at the warlike bear- ing of the Creeks, and abandoned their homes to seek protection in the forts along the Tombigbee and the Alabama. A body of militia which prepared to stop the Creeks on their return, came upon them near Burnt Corn Creek. Here a battle was fought (July 27, 1813), in which the Indians were victorious. After this fight the Indians returned to Pensacola, obtained more guns, powder, and lead, and went back to their own country. A council was then held, at which they decided that they would attack Fort Mims and Fort Sinquefield (sink'field) at the same time.
146. Massacre at Fort Mims .- On the last day of August, 1813, a wounded negress, worn out by the exertions of a long canoe voyage, appeared before General Claiborne at Fort Stoddard, and told him of the most cruel and bloody massacre in the history of Mississippi. A little over a month had passed since the battle of Burnt Corn. The people along the Little and Tensaw rivers had gathered for safety about the residence of Samuel Mims, one mile from the Alabama River and two miles below the Cut Off. They had built a stockade, enclosing about an acre. Here were collected five hundred and fifty-three people, two hundred
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WAR WITH CREEK INDIANS AND THE BRITISH
and sixty-five of whom were soldiers. Unfortunately for the safety of these people, Major Daniel Beasley, a citizen of Jefferson county, was placed in command of this fort. Although he was a brave man, he was overconfident, and ignored the repeated warnings of the most experienced and cautious backwoodsmen. He refused to keep the gate of
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PLAN OF FORT MIMS
the fort closed, even after having been urged by Gen- eral Claiborne, his superior officer, to prepare for an at- tack. On the morn- ing of August 30, 1813, Major Beas- ley wrote to Gen- eral Claiborne, stat- ing that he had just improved the fort and made it much stronger. Two hours later he wrote another note in which he said that he was able to hold the fort against
any number of Indians. Scarcely had the bearer of these two notes left, when a friendly Creek half-breed was seen rapidly approaching on horseback from the north. He stopped at the gate of the fort long enough to tell Major Beasley that the Indians were coming. The commander refused to believe the report. The brave horseman offered to stay and help the people fight if they would prepare for the battle, but as Major Beasley gave him no encourage-
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HISTORY OF MISSISSIPPI
ment, he galloped away, leaving them to their terrible fate. The noise of his horse's hoofs had hardly died away, when the drum-beat sounded for dinner. Several hundred Creek warriors, who had waited for this signal, rushed for the open gate and were within thirty steps of it before they were seen. Major Beasley, more brave than cautious, ran to close the gate and fell, riddled with bullets. In the few hours that followed, more than half a thousand men, wo- men, and children fell victims to the terrible fury of the savages. The colored woman that bore the sad news of this massacre to General Claiborne was one of the thirty- six that escaped from the fort alive.
147. Effects of the Massacre at Fort Mims .- The news of this terrible slaughter caused great alarm throughout the country. The people of the neighboring settlements fled to the stockades for protection, leaving their crops in the fields. The legislature of Tennessee immediately issued a call for thirty-five hundred men, in addition to the fifteen hundred already in the service of the United States. This force was put under the command of General Andrew Jackson. Another army entered the Creek country from
Georgia. The inhabitants of the Mississippi Territory were equally aroused. Within three days after Governor Holmes had called for volunteers, Captain Dougherty, with a force of sixty, reported for duty and left at once for the seat of war. Next day Captain Bullen and Captain James Grafton were ready with two more companies ; and on the fifth day Captain Kemp, with a fourth company, set out for the war. Four companies of cavalry under the command of Colonel Thomas Hinds also went to the front. These were all united at Mount Vernon, and placed under the command of General Claiborne.
148. " Panic " on the Mississippi .- At the door of a schoolhouse in Jefferson county, Mississippi, shortly after
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WAR WITH CREEK INDIANS AND THE BRITISH
the massacre at Fort Mims, the announcement was made that the Indians were coming. Colonel John A. Watkins, who was a pupil in the school at that time, afterwards wrote an account of the " Great Mississippi Panic of 1813." In this he says that at first vague rumors were whispered about that the Creeks and Choctaws were on their way to destroy the settlements along the Mississippi. According to these rumors, which quickly spread and grew, the Indians were soon within eighteen miles of Port Gibson, and drawing rapidly nearer. The alarm spread everywhere, and runners were sent in every direction, warning the inhabitants, and telling them to seek safety in flight. The family of young Watkins was quickly on the road, and was soon joined by twenty or more other families. In describing this cara- van, he says, "The scene was ludicrous beyond descrip- tion. Here three white-haired urchins were pelting an old plow-horse into a fast walk; while there a young mother, similarly mounted, was carrying a child in her lap, while two others were holding on tightly to avoid a fearful tumble; while further on, a rickety old cart, drawn by two stalwart oxen, was loaded with beds, boxes, and children thrown together by chance-the latter crying lustily to be released from their vile imprisonment, while the rod was occasionally applied to keep them quiet." At length a scouting party was sent to Port Gibson to get correct information about the Indian invasion, if possible. It found the place almost deserted, only one merchant having re- mained behind. The scouts were convinced that the reports were false, and hastened to overtake their families, reach- ing them just at sundown. Many of the families returned to their homes at once, but some of them went on until they reached the town of Washington, the territorial capital. Although there was little cause for alarm, this panic was evidently no trifling affair.
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