USA > Ohio > History of Ohio; the rise and progress of an American state, Volume Two > Part 13
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But Colonel Clark was master of the situation. He reassured the French, advising Father Pierre Gibault, who for ten years had been the spiritual adviser and friend of the French Catholics, that they should in no wise be disturbed in their religion, for the Americans always allowed free worship, and he explained also the political situation and the causes of the American Revolution and told them of the recent friendly alliance between the United Colonies and France. They were convinced and appeased. Father Gibault became the warm and steadfast friend of Clark and the American nation. The French were persuaded to the side of the little invading host. Indeed the terror, created by the arrival of Clark, was turned to rejoicing and the French dwellers at the Kaskaskia British post, willingly took the oath of allegiance to the new American Republic. Greater tact was required to keep the Indians in check. This was accomplished by plausible speeches and the presentation of such gifts as the soldiers could spare from their meagre possessions.
Some seventy miles above Kaskaskia on the Missis- sippi River was the ancient village of Cahokia, con- sisting of a hundred families, mostly French or Creole, and the center and rallying point of many Indian tribes, all friendly to England, strongly impregnated with hostility to the Virginia Long Knives. While Clark remained in Kaskaskia to thoroughly complete his bloodless occupation of that post, he detailed Captair Joseph Bowman, with thirty mounted men,-the Kas- kaskians supplying the Indian ponies-to proceed to Cahokia and place it under the American flag.
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Bowman wrote a very succinct account of this detour. The smaller settlements of Prairie du Rocher, fifteen miles from Kaskaskia, and St. Phillips, nine miles higher up, unhesitatingly capitulated to the dashing surprise of Bowman's cavalcade. Cahokia promptly responded to the demand for a surrender and Bowman, leaving squads of his cavalrymen to hold the posts he so easily secured, reported the success of his detour to Clark, who then wrote, in his memoir, "Post St. Vincent, a town about the size of Williamsburg was the next object in my view."
This stockaded settlement, known as Vincennes, was next to Detroit, the greatest stronghold of England n the Northwest. It was, however, at this time, almost exclusively inhabited by the French, its original settlers. Father Pierre Gibault, now the trusty ad- herent of Clark and the Virginians, believed he could proceed to Vincennes, with a few civilian companions, und peacefully induce the people of that post to deliver he little fort-called Sackville-and its surrounding nuts into the hands of the Americans.
Clark implicitly accepted Gibault's services as pro- ›osed, and the good Father, with a small escort,- ncluding Simon Kenton as scout-reached Vincennes n a few days and diplomatically made known his peculiar errand. The few British subjects, naturally esisted the strange and bold proposal but being in a helpless minority, were allowed to leave the town, while he French inhabitants readily acceded to Gibault's lan and "all went in a body to the church, where the ath of allegiance was administered to them in the host solemn manner," by the good Father Gibault.
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The savages in and about Vincennes presented a more difficult problem. They must be reconciled, and were informed that their "Old Father," the French King, had come to life again. A Piankeshaw chief, known as the Big Gate or Big Door because through his influence he controlled the lower portion of the Wabash River, was lavishly complimented by Father Gibault and further placated by gifts. Big Door and his father, Old Tobacco, gathered their tribesmen for a "talk," which won their friendliness to the Gibault mission. By August Ist, Kenton, with dispatches from Clark, set out for Kentucky and Virginia. At the same time Father Gibault returned to Kaskaskia and reported the complete success of his unique errand. The Amer- ican flag now floated over the fort of Vincennes to which Captain Leonard Helm and a handful of soldiers were sent to act as a protectory garrison.
Thus far Clark's advance and achievements seemed to be under the star of propitious fate. But the plucky colonel now faced a serious situation. He was maste: of a vast territory and many posts, with but a mer bagatelle of soldiers. They were hundreds of mile from home, weary, ill-fed, poorly clothed and uncertain of the future before them. Their term of service wa up and they were determined to end it all and return to their Virginia homes. Clark knew the result o his singular victories depended on the continued servic of his troops. By presents and promises he induce more than half the volunteers to re-enlist for eigh months. The number consenting to remain with thei doughty commander was not enough. His wits devise a plan to make good the deficiency. He announce
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to the French dwellers in the posts, under his charge, that he must abandon them to their fate, that of desertion from England and consequent punishment therefor, unless they enter the ranks of his recruits and swell his army to the requisite strength. This logical plea was not in vain. The alarmed and adven- turous young Creoles were at once anxious to take service and Clark commissioned some French officers and enrolled a sufficient number of the post dwellers to fill up all four companies to their original comple- ment.
Clark now took up the more difficult and delicate task of pacifying the many Indian tribes, "the huge horde of savages," who roamed the forests from the Lakes to the Mississippi. He summoned the chiefs and their braves to Cahokia for a council. It was, he says, with astonishment, that he "viewed the amazing number of savages that soon flocked into the town of Cohos (Cahokia) to treat for peace and to hear what the Big Knives had to say." They came from all over the Illinois and Wabash country, some of them from a distance of five hundred miles; "Chipeways, Ottoways, Potowatomies, Misseogies, Puans, Sacks, Foxes, Sayges, Tauways, Maumies, and a number of other tribes, all living east of the Mississippi, and many of them at war against us."
But the "Washington of the West," was no novice in Indian experience; he knew the redmen and with well seasoned alertness and tried ability he dealt wisely with the wily and treacherous members of that forest assembly. Roosevelt draws the picture: "The straggling streets of the dismayed little town were
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thronged with many hundreds of dark-browed, sullen- looking savages, grotesque in look and terrible in possibility; they strutted to and fro in their dirty finery, or lounged round the houses, inquisitive, impor- tunate and insolent, hardly concealing a lust for blood- shed and plunder that the slightest mishap was certain to render ungovernable."
Indeed some of the bolder ones conspired to capture Clark and went so far as to surround his lodgings and attempt an entrance, when Clark, informed of the plot, instantly ordered the French militia to seize the conspirators and put them in irons. The affair created a great uproar in the town and no one could foretel the outcome should the Indians be generally aroused Assuming a manner of perfect indifference to the danger, Clark summoned the tribesmen and defiantly denounced their cowardice and treachery, told then of the war between the Americans and the British and warned them of the dire results if they took uj arms against the Long Knives. It was for the tribes men to choose whether they would be friends or foe of the Americans. The warriors were over-awed and persuaded. In Clark they were dealing with a whit antagonist, honest, just and fearless, whom they mus at once fear and admire.
Clark's expedition had been so skilfully, so swiftl. and so stealthily executed that its success was we. nigh complete before the British authorities knew of it. Butterfield puts it, "Clark's success, thus far extraordinary though it was, cannot be said to hav been any display of military genius. * * But ther was one element in his success that the greatest an
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wisest of generals do not fail to invoke as one of the most important factors in military science-and that was secrecy- it was the secrecy which he so completely maintained as to the real object of his undertaking, that, in the end, insured his triumph."
It was not until the 8th of August, that a French missionary reached Detroit with the startling announce- ment that the American "rebels" had invaded the Illinois country, captured Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and many smaller posts and were then approaching Vin- cennes. Hamilton hurried the news to Captain de Peyster, commandant at Michilimackinac, to Lieu- lenant-Colonel Bolton at Niagara, and to Governor Guy Carleton at Quebec. The decision was not delayed that the American soldiers must be dislodged From the Illinois and Wabash country and the Indians er et upon the war-path to devastate the frontier settle- nents.
U e: The latter part of June (1778) Sir Frederick Haldi- nand succeeded Sir Guy Carleton as Governor-General of Canada. Haldimand was a Swiss soldier of fortune, who in 1756, with his friend and countryman, Henry mit Bouquet, came to the British colonies in America. us He remained and distinguished himself in the British ervice. He was a man of great ability and unusual usterity of temperament. It was a long distance rom Quebec to Detroit and the news of this guber- atorial change was many weeks in reaching Hamilton, rho meantime was incessant in his policy of holding he western tribesmen steadfast to England, and defatigable in his efforts to send forth marauding arties to the frontiers.
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It was late in June that Hamilton called a great council, at Detroit, of all the western tribes. It proved to be one of the largest ever held in the West; nearly seventeen hundred Indians, warriors and their wives and children, encamped about the fort. Eight of the leading western tribes were represented and from Ohio came Hurons, Miamis, Mingoes and even Dela- wares. There were many prominent Canadian officers, among whom mingled Alexander McKee, so lately fled from Fort Pitt. The speeches of the Indian orators were all reassuring; the tie of friendship was tightened; the war-songs reverberated along the river bank and the war-dance raised the warriors to a high pitch of excitement. In his account, Hamilton wrote (June 17): "Some Delawares are this day arrived, who are desirous of showing their intention of joining their brethren, and have presented me two pieces of dried meat (scalps); one of which, I have given to the Chippewas, the other to the Miamis, that they may show in their villages the disposition of the Delawares.' Butterworth adds: "There is no possibility of mis taking this brutality; nor can it be denied that the Lieutenant-Governor, by this deed placed himsel upon record as acting in a manner at once barbarou and bloodthirsty."
The voluminous correspondence between Hamilton and Carleton and Haldimand sufficiently establishe the knowledge, consent and even direction, of th British authorities to the Indian atrocities, inflicted upon the Americans, at the instigation of Hamilton. This subject has created not a little acrimoniou controversy. The British historians, as would b
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expected, deny the participation or even sanction of the governmental authorities in the bloody deeds of their allies, the savages. This denial is echoed by a few Anglo-maniac American writers. But the facts of history reveal the truth. Says Mr. John R. Spears in his "History of the Mississippi Valley:" "Any attempt to gloss over, or palliate this matter-the British use of the Indians-even though done to pro- mote international harmony, is but a form of foolish ying; and no good can be promoted by a lie." Winsor, Fiske and Roosevelt, treat this subject without reserva- tion and give their witnesses. The unvarnished truth s that "the British authorities from the King down through the ministers, and the local rulers, to the Tory partisans, deliberately approved the use of Indians," and they approved the most diabolical use of these inrestrained brutes.
Much stress is laid, by the American apologists for the British, upon the fact that Lord Germain and even Sir Haldimand in their instructions to Hamilton, while ırging the arming and sending forth of the Indians o slaughter and pillage, requested the Detroit com- nandant to admonish the savages, in their assaults ipon the American "rebels," to treat leniently the children and the aged! Infuriate the war passions of the redmen, sharpen their tomahawks and scalping Knives, but tell them to use some discretion in butcher- ng their victims! And this is soberly set forth, by ome American writers, as atoning for the British policy in employing the tribesmen to devastate the rontiers. Roosevelt in his "Winning of the West," ›uts it thus: "Hamilton and his subordinates, both
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red and white, were engaged in what was essentially an effort to exterminate the borderers; it was a war of extermination waged with appalling and horrible cruelty; it brings out in bold relief the fact that in the West the War of the Revolution was an effort on the part of Great Britain to stop the westward growth of the English race in America and to keep the region beyond the Alleghenies as a region where only savage should dwell." Mr. William H. English in his scholarly and exhaustive history of Clark's campaign, close his discussion on this topic with the conclusion: "th evidence is now positive that Hamilton first proposer to the higher authorities that the raids (Indian) b made and the higher authorities ordered them mad upon Hamilton's suggestion."
In the first official letter, written by Lord Georg Germain to Guy Carleton (March 26, 1777), orderin the raids to be made, he advises that the Indians b restrained "from committing violence on well affecte and inoffensive inhabitants," which meant the Torie and British partisans, a list of the leading ones bein enclosed with his advice. In a letter to Carleton fror Hamilton, the latter speaking of the "falling upon th scattered settlers by the warrior parties," makes th significant remark, that the Americans through "the: arrogance, disloyalty, and impudence had justly draw upon them this deplorable sort of war."
Hamilton, the "hair-buyer" was indeed the plotte and instigator of the damnable barbarities committe by the Indians upon the American "rebels," but was all done with full knowledge, and therefore guilt complicity of, the Governor-General of Canada an
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the Cabinet-Secretary Sir George Germain. These indian outrages fill the foulest and bloodiest pages in he history of the shame of England.
As soon as possible (October 8) Hamilton set out rom Detroit with a mixed force, about equally com- osed of British regulars, Canadian militiamen and volunteer Indians, some two hundred all told. In ifteen boats, with food, clothing, ammunition and quantity of presents, Hamilton dropped down the Detroit River, thence glided thirty miles across the corner of Lake Erie to the mouth of the Maumee, up which he pushed his transports, arriving at the "Miami Town"-site of Fort Wayne-after a two weeks' journey. Iere several bands of Indians were met and united to he expedition, which was further recruited by a captain nd some forty British regulars.
From the headwaters of the Maumee to the Little River, a headstream of the Wabash, was a portage of ine miles; the boats and baggage were carried over n "ten carts and six carriages. " It was a heavy and edious lift, but the reembarkation was accomplished nd the water route resumed on the Wabash-then alled Ouabache-down which the progress was slow, eing beset with difficulties and obstacles. At every ndian village, it was necessary to stop and cajole the warriors, who continued to recruit Hamilton's train ntil it numbered five hundred in all, about four-fifths eing savages.
At last the Wea village-alluded to in previous ages as Ouiatanon-was reached. Here many of he Wabash chiefs who had professed friendship for lark at the Cahokia conference, awaited Hamilton
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and promptly tendered him their allegiance. This was strictly in harmony with the flexible character of the noble redman. By the middle of December (1778), seventy-one days after the departure from Detroit, Hamilton with his savage host and choice veterans from the King's Eight, reached Vincennes.
Captain Helm with less than fifty soldiers, only two of whom were Americans, was utterly unable to hold the town and fort, called Sackville, "a wretched. miserable stockade without a well, barrack, platform for small arms, or even lock to the gate." But the demand of surrender by Major Hay, the advance officer of Hamilton, brought the reply from Captair Helm that he would only yield with the honors o: war. The terms were granted and the tradition is that Captain Helm, deserted by his French recruits, coolly marched out with the sole escort of two soldiers, on bearing aloft the American flag. It was a scene fo a comedy, rather than an act in the "pomp and cir cumstance of war." Vincennes was again in the hand of the British and Hamilton required the inhabitants some six hundred in all, to forswear the oath of alle giance to the American cause, and renew their fealty to Great Britain.
Hamilton restored the fort, erected blockhouses and embrasures and rested securely on his laurels, feelin; no uneasiness over the situation, for he knew Clark' forces were paltry and widely scattered. In due tim the British commander intended to move on to th towns occupied by Clark and retake them as he ha Vincennes. Meanwhile he sent back to Detroit mos
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of the Canadian militia and allowed the Indians to Irift back to their villages for the winter.
But in Clark, the self-sufficient Hamilton had an ntagonist, whose alertness, daring and indomitable nergy "raised him head and shoulders above every ther frontier leader." The moment Clark learned f Hamilton's occupation of Vincennes, he resolved to etrieve the loss. He marshalled his land forces into hree companies, officered respectively by Captains Richard M'Carty, John Williams and Francis Charle- ille, the latter a Frenchman with a company of Kas- askians. Major John Bowman was made second in ommand of the army which was augmented by a navy," consisting of "a large boat prepared and gged, mounting two four-pounders, four large swivels, nd manned by forty-six soldiers commanded by lieutenant John Rogers." This backwoods-built "gun oat," christened the "Willing," was loaded with upplies, launched at Kaskaskia and rowed down that ver to the Mississippi, thence to be propelled up the hio and the Wabash to a designated point below incennes.
Meanwhile, on February 5, 1779, one day after le "Willing" cast her moorings for her voyage, olonel Clark, with the blessing of Father Gibault et forth with his little army of one hundred and venty, overland, a tramp of two hundred and fifty iles, for Vincennes. It was a terrible conflict, not ith the enemy, but the elements; the streams were vollen, the ground water-soaked, sleet and snow ›vered the ground and the rains were frequent, while le cold winds of winter multiplied their sufferings.
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The fatigues, hardships and privations of those plucky, persistent and patriotic soldiers are not surpassed by the annals of any similar expedition in history. The immortal veterans of Napoleon on their march tc Moscow, deserve not praise greater than that merited by the frontier heroes of Colonel Clark.
For three weeks this little invading host followed the "Vincennes trace," wading the creeks and swamps sleeping in frost-coated blankets on frozen ground they carried no provisions, relying for food on the wild forest game, which the bleak, ice-ridden winte had made scarce and uncertain; benumbed with cold their clothes water soaked they unfalteringly struggle on. Roosevelt admirably abbreviates Clark's journal "Of course he and the other officers shared ever hardship and led in every labor. He encouraged th men to hunt game; and to 'feast on it like India war-dancers,' each company in turn inviting th others to the smoking and plentiful banquets. On day they saw great herds of buffaloes and killed man of them. They had no tents; but at nightfall the kindled huge camp-fires, and spent the evenings merril round the piles of blazing logs, in hunter fashion, feas ing on bear's ham, buffalo hump, elk saddle, venisc haunch, and the breast of the wild turkey, some singir of love and the chase and war, and others dancir after the manner of the French trappers and woo runners."
On February 17th, Major Bowman's diary recite "About an hour by sun we got near the river Embarra found the country all overflowed with water. W strove to find the Wabash, traveling till eight o'clon
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at night) in mud and water, but could find no place o encamp on. Still kept marching on. After some ime, Mr. Kennedy and his party returned. Found t impossible to cross Embarrass river. We found he water fallen from a small spot of ground; stayed here the remainder of the night. Drizzly and damp Teather. And 18th. At break of day heard Governor Iamilton's morning gun; set off and marched down he river. About two o'clock came to the bank of he Wabash. Made rafts for four men to cross and nen up to town and steal boats, but they spent a day nd night in the water to no purpose and there was ot one foot of dry land to be found. 19th. Captain I'Carty's company made a canoe which was sent own the river to meet the batteau [the Willing] with rders to come on day and night that being our last ope and we starving. No provisions of any sort for vo days."
Five days later, after "one of the coldest nights we ma ad," the little column plunged waist deep through a vamp, to dry land, many of the men so weak they err fe: eniz ingi ancia ad to be supported by companions and literally ted out of the water. They stood, half starved, alf frozen, before the bastion of Fort Sackville. ike so many spectres from the bleak forests they ddenly emerged to the astonished Hamilton who was tally unapprised of their approach. Indeed the rprise of the "hair-buyer" must have been akin to reci barr r. at which shook with fear the bloody Macbeth when ld of the approach of Birnam Wood to Dunsinane, r the wily Virginian leader so deployed his eight o'ch ore soldiers and wheeled them right and left and
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up and down on the rolling ridges before the Sackville fort that their number was many times multiplied in appearance. Clark supplemented this ruse with the bravado of Ethan Allen at Ticonderoga, and sent a written proclamation to the people of Vincennes, demanding immediate surrender and renewal of their allegiance to American authority. The demand was repelled and the next day the columns were formed ir attack array, the drums were beaten and the firing upor the stockade begun. Portions of the attacking force entered the town at unprotected points.
Once in the town, the invading "rebels" receive( immediate aid from the friendly French, with whon Hamilton's domination had been far from popular the Creoles furnished Clark's soldiers ammunition and the Piankeshaw "Big Door," promptly gathere his warriors and offered them as allies to the American The siege, a desultory fusilade, continued all nigh during which the occupation of the town was mad complete, but the fort still held out. By noon, hov ever, of the second day, the British garrison, seeing th inevitable result of the attack, began to negotia for terms of capitulation. There was much parleyir back and forth, but it ended in the surrender of tl seventy-nine soldiers under Hamilton, who in reportis his defeat to his superiors, acknowledged his chagr in being compelled to yield "to a set of unciviliz Virginian backwoodsmen armed with rifles."
Hamilton and his principal officers were sent 3 prisoners to Williamsburg, where he was later parole, at the request of Washington. The French citizes of this much-captured Vincennes were again swcl
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to the American cause. It was their third change of allegiance in a few months, during which time they must have become adepts in the exercise of oath taking.
Clark had hoped to push on to Detroit and seize the western capital of the British, but his force was too depleted and his soldiers too exhausted to be urged to further efforts. The completion of Clark's plans must be deferred. But he had practically achieved his purpose. His conquest of the West had pre-empted For the Americans, that vast country and prevented its 'ich valleys and rolling plains from becoming the ren- lezvous of British troops and the arena for the centrali- ation and confederation of Indian tribes, which might drive the Americans beyond the Ohio and save the Northwest to England.
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