USA > Ohio > The history of the state of Ohio; from the discovery of the great valley, to the present time > Part 49
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CHAPTER XXXII.
THE COUNCIL FIRE AND THE BATTLE-FIELD.
GENERAL WAYNE'S DECISION - THE MARCH TO TIPPECANOE-
THE BATTLE - GOVERNOR HARRISON'S OFFICIAL ACCOUNT - THE DOUBTFUL POLICY - PROBABLE PLANS OF TECUMSEH AND HIS BROTHER, ELSKWATAWA -SPEECH OF TECUMSEH - DISA- GREEMENT IN COUNCIL-THE SECOND WAR WITH ENGLAND- INSOLENCE OF ELLIOT - SPEECH OF ROUND HEAD - COUNCIL AT BROWNSTOWN -SPEECH OF "BETWEEN-THE-LOGS" -THE GREAT QUESTION - REMARKABLE COUNCIL AT SANDUSKY - THE SPEECHES - CHARACTER OF BLACK HOOF.
AFTER THE departure of Tecumseh, General Harrison pondered the question of peace or war. We cannot but think, in view of the light of subsequent events, that he made a mistake in deciding to commence hostilities. The Governor, in the autumn, took a strong armed force of a thousand men, and set out on a march to the Prophet's Village, on the Tippecanoe. Of course the Indians, who, through their scouts, kept themselves informed of every important movement of the Governor, regarded this armed invasion of their territory as a hostile act.
The Governor gave out that he was going to the Prophet's Town to ascertain for himself what they were doing there; it was also thought that it would do good to let the Indians see what an army he had at his disposal. After a march of about six miles above Vincennes, the Governor threw up some fortifications, which he called Fort Harrison. Here he laid in a supply of provisions and ammunition, and here he could find refuge in case of an attack.
The army marched with the utmost caution, in two bands, one each side of the Indian trail. Their route led them along the eastern bank of the Wabash, through an open prairie country. Their line of march was so arranged that, in case of alarm, the troops could almost instantly be thrown into a hollow square or formed in line of battle. Early in November they approached
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the valley of Tippecanoe, and encamped within ten miles of the Prophet's town. This was disputed territory, claimed by the Uni- ted States in virtue of a treaty which the Indians declared to be fraudulent, and therefore null and void.
The next morning the army resumed its march. Several small bands of Indians were seen in the distance, but they evaded all attempts at communication. When the troops arrived within three miles of the town, three of the leading chiefs made their appear- ance, and inquired of Governor Harrison why he approached their peaceful settlement in so hostile an attitude. The governor replied that he had no hostile intentions if the Indians would rat- ify existing treaties. This was simply saying that he had come to compel them to acquiesce in the cession to the United States of all that immense territory which the governor claimed through the treaty of Fort Wayne. The Indian ambassadors, having received this unsatisfactory reply, withdrew.
The governor selected a favorable spot for his night's encamp- ment. His troops were mainly posted in a hollow square, and slept upon their arms. Each corps was ordered, in case of attack, to maintain its position at every hazard until relieved. The dra- goons were placed in the center. They were directed, should there be any alarm, immediately to hold themselves in readiness to relieve the point assailed. The most minute arrangements were given to meet every conceivable emergency. The troops threw themselves upon the ground for rest. Every man had his accoutrements on, his loaded musket by his side, and his bayonet fixed. Governor Harrison gave the following official account of the battle which ensued :
"On the morning of the seventh I had risen at a quarter after four o'clock, and the signal for calling out the men would have been given in two minutes, when the attack commenced. It began on our left flank; but a single gun was fired by the senti- nels, or by the guard in that direction, which made not the least resistance, but abandoned their officer and fled into the camp, and the first notice which the troops of that flank had of the danger was from the yells of the savages within a short distance of the line. But, even under these circumstances, the men were not wanting to themselves or the occasion. Such of them as were awake, or were easily awakened, seized their arms and took their
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WILLIAM DENNISON Governor 1860-62
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stations ; others, who were more tardy, had to contend with the enemy in the door of their tents.
"The storm fell first upon Captain Barton's company of the fourth United States regiment, and Captain Geigler's company of mount- ed riflemen, which formed the left angle of the rear line. The fire upon these was exceedingly severe, and they suffered severely before relief could be brought to them. Some few Indians passed into the encampment near the angle, and one or two penetrated some distance before they were killed. I believe all the other companies were under arms and tolerably formed before they were fired on. The morning was dark and cloudy ; our fires afforded a partial light, which, if it gave us some opportunity of taking our positions, was still more advantageous to the enemy, affording them the means of taking a surer aim; they were therefore extin- guished as soon as possible. Under all these discouraging cir- cumstances, the troops (nineteen-twentieths of whom had never been in action before) behaved in a manner that can never be too much applauded. They took their places without noise, and with less confusion than could have been expected f veterans placed in a similar position. As soon as I could mount my horse I rode to the angle that was attacked. I found that Barton's com- pany had suffered severely, and the left of Geigler's entirely bro ken. I immediately ordered Cook's company and the late Captain Wentworth's, under Lieutenant Peters, to be brought up from the center of the rear line, where the ground was much more defensi- ble, and formed across the angle, in support of Barton's and Geigler's. My attention was then engaged by a heavy firing upon the left of the front line, where were stationed the small company of United States riflemen (then, however, armed with muskets) and the companies of Baen, Snelling and Prescott, of the fourth regiment.
"I found Major Daviess forming the dragoons in the rear of those companies, and understanding that the heaviest part of the fire proceeded from some trees about fifteen or twenty paces in front of those companies, I directed the major to dislodge them with a part of his dragoons. Unfortunately, his gallantry deter- mined him to execute the order with a smaller force than was sufficient, which enabled the enemy to avoid him in front and attack his flanks. The major was mortally wounded, and his party driven back. The Indians were, however, immediately and 36
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gallantly dislodged from their advantageous position by Captain Snelling, at the head of his company. In the course of a few minutes after the commencement of the attack the fire extended along the left flank, the whole of the front, the right flank, and part of the rear line. Upon Spencer's mounted riflemen, and the right of Warwick's company, which was posted on the right of the rear line, it was excessively severe; Captain Spencer and his first and second lieutenants were killed, and Captain Warwick mort- ally wounded - those companies, however, still bravely main- tained their posts, but Spencer's had suffered so severely, I reinforced them with Robb's company of riflemen, which had been driven or by mistake ordered from their position on the left flank toward the center of the camp, and filled the vacancy that had been occupied by Robb's with Prescott's company of the fourth United States regiment.
"My great object was to keep the lines entire to prevent the enemy from breaking into the camp until daylight, which should enable me to make a general and effectual charge. With this view I had reinforced every part of the line that had suffered much, and as soon as the approach of morning discovered itself I withdrew from the front line Snelling's, Posey's (under Lieutenant Albright) and Scott's, and from the rear line Wilson's companies, and drew them upon the left flank, and at the same time I ordered Cook's and Baen's companies, the former from the rear and the latter from the front line, to reinforce the right flank, foreseeing that at these points the enemy would make their last efforts. Major Wells, who commanded on the left flank, not knowing my intentions precisely, had taken the command of these companies, and charged the enemy before I had formed the body of dragoons with which I meant to support the infantry; a small detachment of these were, however, ready, and proved amply sufficient for the purpose.
"The Indians were driven by the infantry at the point of the bayonet, and the dragoons pursued and forced them into a marsh, where they could not be followed. Captain Cook and Lieutenant Larebee had, agreeably to my order, marched their companies to the right flank, had formed them under the fire of the enemy, and being then joined by the riflemen of that flank, had charged the Indians, killed a number, and put the rest to a precipitate flight. A favorable opportunity was here offered to pursue the enemy
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with dragoons, but being engaged at that time on the other flank I did not observe it until it was too late.
" I have thus, sir, given you the particulars of an action which was certainly maintained with the greatest bravery and persever- ance on both sides. The Indians manifested a ferocity uncom- mon even with them. To their savage fury our troops opposed that cool and deliberate valor which is the characteristic of the Christian soldier.
" The Americans in this battle had not more than seven hun- dred efficient men, non-commissioned officers and privates; the Indians are believed to have had eight hundred to one thousand warriors. The loss of the American army was thirty-seven killed on the field, twenty-five mortally wounded, and one hundred and twenty-six wounded ; that of the Indians about forty killed on the spot, the number of wounded being unknown."
As we now reflect upon these transactions, it seems doubtful whether the governor acted wisely. He led an army of a thou- sand men several hundred miles through the wilderness. Of these men, whose lives were so valuable, sixty-two were killed, and of the hundred and twenty-six wounded, many lost arms and legs and were crippled for life. It cannot be denied that he com- menced the war, for the armed invasion of their country was cer- tainly a hostile act. He killed about forty Indians and probably wounded many more. He laid the little town of the Prophet in ashes. He then returned to Vincennes, leaving the Indians so exasperated by what they deemed a totally unjustifiable outrage, that they were all ready to listen to the solicitations of the British to join them in their second war against the United States.
It is by no means certain that Tecumseh and his brother were not sincere in their protestations that they had no wish for war. They were eminently sagacious men. The plan which they pro- fessed to have adopted to save their race from extinction was eminently a wise one. The conspiracy which they were accused of organizing was foolish in the extreme. Tecumseh, in his last interview with Governor Harrison, proposed that they should both go to Washington and submit the question to the President of the United States, whether the Indians ought to surrender their lands which the whites had purchased of certain chiefs whom the Indians declared had been bribed to sell lands to which they had no title.
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Tecumseh was absent in the South at the time of the battle of Tippecanoe. He was engaged, as he said, in an endeavor to unite the chiefs in the attempt to prevent any further fraudulent surrenders of their hunting-grounds. When he heard of the bat- tle he was greatly surprised and troubled. He immediately re- turned and renewed his application to the Governor that they should repair to Washington and refer the difficulty, which had now assumed so appalling an aspect, to the President. The Gov- ernor did not accede to this proposal.
Tecumseh then assembled a grand council of twelve tribes on the Mississiniway, a branch of the Wabash. It was held on the 12th of May, 1812. The Wyandot tribe was then the most pow- erful of the Indian tribes. Their chiefs opened the council. They blamed the Indians on the Wabash as being the cause of the renewal of hostilities, which it seems that the Wyandot chiefs were very anxious to avoid. One of their chiefs, speaking in be- half of the rest, said :
"Younger brothers ! you who reside on the Wabash, listen to what we say. We are sorry to see your path filled with thorns and briers, and your land covered with blood. Our love for you has caused us to come and clean your paths and wipe the blood off your land, and take the weapons that have spilled this blood from you, and put them where you can never reach them again."
To this rebuke Tecumseh replied : " Elder brothers! We have listened with attention to what you have said to us. We thank the Great Spirit for inclining your hearts to pity us. We now pity ourselves. Our hearts are good. They never were bad. Gov- ernor Harrison made war on my people in my absence. It was the Great Spirit's will that he should do so. We hope it will please the Great Spirit that the white people may now let us live in peace. We will not disturb them. Neither have we done it, except when they came to our village with the intention of destroy- ing us. We are happy to state to our brothers who are present that the unfortunate transaction which took place between the white people and few of our young men, at our village, has been settled between us and Governor Harrison. I will further state, that had I been at home, there would have been no blood shed at that time."
It seems that the young men who, without due authority, com- menced the attack upon Governor Harrison's troops, belonged to
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the Potawatamie tribe. Tecumseh condemned them with great severity.
" We are sorry," he said, " to find that the same respect has not been paid to the agreement between us and Governor Harrison, by our brothers, the Potawatamies. However we are not account- able for the conduct of those over whom we have no control. Let the chiefs of that nation exert themselves, and cause their warriors to behave wisely, as we have done and will continue to do with ours. Should the bad acts of our brothers, the Potawatamies, draw on us the ill-will of our white brothers, and should they come again and make an unprovoked attack on us at our village, we will die like men, but we will never strike the first blow."
These reproaches roused the Potawatamies chiefs; one of them arose and accused the Prophet of being the cause of all the diffi- culty. " We have no control," he said, "over those few roving young men. We do not consider them as belonging to our nation. We will be thankful to any people who will put them to death wherever they may be found. As they are bad people, and have learnt to be so from the pretended Prophet, and as he has been the cause of setting those people on our white brothers, we hope he will be active in reconciling them. As we all hear him say that his heart is inclined for peace, we hope we may all see this dec- laration supported by his future conduct, and that all our women and children may lay down and sleep without fear."
To this Tecumseh replied in terms which seem to render it in- credible that he could have been endeavoring to organize the tribes into a hostile confederacy.
" It is true," said he, " that we have endeavored to give all our brothers good advice. If they have not listened to it we are sorry for it. We defy any living creature to say that we ever advised any one, directly or indirectly, to make war on our white brethern. It has constantly been our misfortune to have our views misrepresented to our white brethren. This has been done by pretended chiefs of the Potawatamies, who have been in the habit of selling to the white people lands which did not belong to them."
This charge brought one of the chiefs of the Delawares to his feet. " We have not met," he said," to listen to such words. The red men have been killing the whites. The just resentment of the whites is raised against them. Our white brethren are on the march with their guns in their hands. This is no time to say to one another,
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'you have done this, and you have done that.' If it were we would say to the Prophet : 'both the red men and the white men have felt the bad effects of your counsel.' Let us all join our hands and hearts together and proclaim peace through the land of the red men. Let us make our voices heard and respected, and let us rely on the justice of our white brethren."
In 1812 the second war commenced between the United States and Great Britain. The English officers in Canada immediately made every effort to induce the Indian tribes to enter into an al- liance with them against the Americans. A large council of Indian chiefs was convened at Malden, in Canada, by the British authorities. British officers have generally been as distinguished for their arro- gant and overbearing demeanor as for their bravery. There was present at this council a Wyandot chief, Walk-in-the-Water, who was alike illustrious as an orator and a warrior.
A British officer by the name of Elliot addressed this chief very haughtily, demanding of him whether he had advised the Wyandots and other tribes to remain neutral in the conflict. Walk-in-the-Water rose with great dignity, and made the follow- ing bold and pertinent reply :
"I have advised all the tribes to remain neutral. I believed it to be best for us and for our brethren. We have no wish to be involved in a war with the Americans, for we know by experience that we have nothing to gain by it. And we beg the British not to force us into this war. We remember that in the former war between the British and the Americans, we and the British were defeated. We red men lost our country. You, the British, made peace with the Americans without our knowledge, and you gave our country to them. You still said to us, 'My children, you must fight for your country, for the Americans will take it from you.'
" We did as you advised us, and we were defeated, with the loss of our best chiefs and warriors and of our land. And we still remember your conduct towards us when we were defeated at the rapids of the Maumee. We sought safety for our wounded in your fort. But what was your conduct? You closed your gates against us, and we had to retreat the best way we could. And then we made peace with the Americans, and have enjoyed peace with them ever since. And now you wish us again to take up the hatchet against the Americans. We say again that we do
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not wish to have anything to do with this war. You should fight your own battles and leave us red men to enjoy peace."
Elliot was greatly enraged, and here interrupted the chief, saying, " This is American talk. I will not hear another word of it. If you do not stop I will order my soldiers to take you and your chiefs and hold you as prisoners. We will consider you our enemies."
Walk-in-the-Water sat down. Another chief arose, by the name of Round Head, who had espoused the British interest. He was the chief of a small tribe of Wyandots residing in Canada.
"Father!" said Round Head, "you say that the talk just deliv- ered by my friend Walk-in-the-Water is American talk, and that you cannot hear any more of it; and that if it is persisted in you will take the chiefs prisoners and treat them as enemies. Now hear me. I am a chief, and am acknowledged to be such. I speak the sentiments of the chiefs of the tribes assembled around your council-fire. I now come forward and take hold of your war-hatchet and will assist you to fight against the Americans."
Two Wyandot chiefs, with Tecumseh and his brother, followed, speaking in the same strain. Elliot added some very threaten- ing remarks, which induced Walk-in-the-Water and his friends to leave the council-house and re-cross the river to Brownstown, on the American side. They immediately appealed to the American general at Detroit for protection, but, for some unknown reason, it was not afforded them. The British sent over a large detachment of soldiers, accompanied by Tecumseh and Round Head, and took these chiefs as captives.
Not many weeks after these events a friendly chief, who was called the Crane, proposed to General Harrison, who was en- camped with his army at Seneca, on the Sandusky, that he should send an embassy to all the Indians in Canada, many of whom had been forced to adhere to the British cause, inviting them to retire to the American territory, where they would be protected in neutrality. General Harrison approved of the measure. Presi- dent Madison, much to his honor, had refused to employ the sav- ages in the American army. It was his main object to induce all the tribes to remain neutral.
A very large council of Indians, friendly and unfriendly, was convened at Brownstown, on the western bank of the Detroit
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River. The deputation called upon Tecumseh, in Canada, and urged him to attend the council. He replied :
"No! I have taken sides with the British, and I will suffer my bones to bleach upon this shore before I will re-cross that river to join in any council of neutrality."
The British Indian agent, Elliot, and a British merchant, McKee, were present to watch the proceedings of the council. One of the chiefs rose and delivered the following speech, which had been entrusted to him by the Crane, who was not present :
"Brothers! you red men, who are engaged fighting for the Brit- ish king, listen. These words are from the Wyandots, Delawares, Shawanese and Senecas. Our American father has raised his war- pole and collected a large army of his warriors. They will soon march to attack the British. He does not wish to destroy his red children, their wives and families. He wishes you to separate yourselves from the British, and to bury the hatchet which you have raised.
" You can then return to your own lands, and hunt the game as you formerly did. I beg you to consider your situation, and act wisely. Do not wantonly destroy your own people. Brothers ! whoever feels disposed to accept this advice, let him come forward and take hold of this belt of wampum which I have in my hand. I hope you will not refuse to accept it in the presence of your British father, for you are independent of him."
There was a moment of profound silence. Not a single hand was raised to accept the proffered pledge. Round Head then rose and said :
"Brother Wyandots, we have heard your American talk, but we will not listen to it. We will not forsake our British father, nor lay down the standard which we have raised. I speak the senti- ments of all here present. And I charge you to say to the Amer- ican commander that it is our wish that he would send more men against us. All that has now passed between us we do not call fighting. We wish to fight in good earnest."
Then Elliot himself rose, and, if correctly reported, said, in lan- guage absurd and disgraceful to him, addressing the chiefs friend- ly to the Americans :
"As you now see that my children here are determined not to forsake the cause of their British father, I wish you to carry back a message with you. Tell my squaw, your American father, that
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I want her to cook the provisions for me and my red children more faithfully than she has done. She has not done her duty.
" If she receives this as an insult, and feels disposed to fight, tell her to bring more men than she ever brought before. Our former skirmishes I do not call fighting. If she wishes to fight with me and my children she must not burrow in the earth, like a ground-hog, where she is inaccessible. She must come out and fight fairly."
To this speech of Elliot, an English gentleman, an untutored savage, whose uncouth name was Between the Logs, replied. He was, however, a Christian Indian, one of the Moravian converts.
" Brothers! I am directed by my American father to inform you that if you reject the advice given you, he will march here with a large army, and if he should find any of the red people opposing him in his passage through this country, he will trample them under his feet. You cannot stand before him.
" And now for myself, I earnestly entreat you to consider the good talk I have brought, and listen to it. Why would you devote yourselves, your women, and your children, to destruction? Let me tell you if you should defeat the American army this time you have not done. Another will come on, and if you defeat that still another will appear that you cannot withstand; one that will come like the waves of the great water, and overwhelm you and sweep you from the face of the earth.
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