E 392 'J128 1840a BH»!1TmiW«!li^A^mitWn!-HWiWTOHi1»HIW,Hll.il««H«ilHH,i;i;i LIBRARY OF CONGRESS DD0D53'=3S35A % 6: O • 1 ^O ^,* .^y ^ . \ LIFE OF WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. (1) THE LIFE OF WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON, (OF OHIO,) THE PEOPLE'S CANDIDATE FOR THE PRESIDENCY. WITH A HISTORY OF THE WARS WITH THE BRITISH AND INDIANS ON OUR NORTH-WESTERN FRONTIER. J4.t day, they arrived at the river Raisin, and finding that the forces of the enemy were al- ready in Frenchtown, they attacked them with great gallantry, and after a sharp action, succeeded in dislodging them, and gained possession of the place. The engagement commenced at three o'clock, and the pursuit continued until dusk, when the enemy were driven several miles from the field of action. Flushed with this victory. Colonel Lewis de- termined to maintain his position, and dis- patched an express to General Winchester to apprise him of his intention. Winchester, on hearing this intelligence, 11 122 LIFE OF approved of the decision of Colonel Lewis, and knowing his critical situation, hastened to support him with all his force. He arrived and encamped at Frenchtown on the 20th — but unfortunately, for the first time during the whole campaign, he omitted to fortify his po- sition, and even neglected to station a piquet guard on the road leading to Maiden, where the enemy were posted in great strength. The whole of the 21st was suffered to pass away without any of these necessary precau- tions having been adopted — and on the follow- ing morning, the British and Indians from Maiden, having advanced unperceived with their entire force, opened a heavy fire of grape-shot upon our troops, from several pieces of artillery, at a distance of not more than three hundred yards from the camp. The troops under Winchester's immediate command, completely taken by surprise and unprotected by any fortification, were soon overpowered by numbers, and forced to re- treat in confusion. Winchester, and the in- trepid Lewis and Allen, made every eflfort to rally the fugitives, but in vain. They fled in disorder across the river and to the woods, where the Indians having gained their flank WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 123 and rear, pursued and tomahawked them without^ mercy. General Winchester and some few others were taken prisoners and carried to the British camp. But a part of Lewis's detachment, who had adopted the precaution to protect their en- campment by pickets, still defended their posi- tion with great bravery and resolution ; until Proctor, the commander of the British force, procured an order from Winchester, com- manding them to surrender. As their ammu- nition was nearly expended, and they had no hope of relief, these heroic troops, though re- luctantly, obeyed this order — but not, how- ever, until Proctor had given them an express assurance of protection from the exasperated rage and cruelty of the Indians. All the prisoners who were able to make the exertion, were marched to Maiden ; but those who w^ere severely wounded were left behind in the houses at Frenchtown, with the repeated promises of Proctor that they should be protected from the savages, and that, the next morning, sleds should be sent to convey them to Maiden. But instead of this, they were left wholly unprotected, and the next day, in place of the sleds, came a part}'- of infuri- J124 LIFE OF ated Indians, who set fire to the town, burnt the houses, and barbarously murdered all the prisoners in cold blood ! The defeat and massacre at the river Raisin produced a great sensation throughout the Western country, and especially in Kentucky — which state, always foremost in danger, lost some of her most valuable citizens and gallant officers in this disastrous affair. So serious a calamity necessarily excited much discussion with regard to its causes, and as some censure was thrown on those who committed no error, and who were not instrumental in causing the defeat of Winchester, which proved the defeat of the campaign, it is proper that we should proceed to state the measures taken by Gene- ral Harrison to reinforce General Winchester, and prevent the unfortunate result above re- lated. On the evening that General Harrison re- ceived, though indirectly, the intelligence of General Winchester's contemplated movement against the enemy, as before stated, he imme- diately dispatched an express to the Rapids for information, gave orders for a corps of three hundred men to hasten on with the ar- tillery, and for escorts to advance, without WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 125 delay, with the provisions and mihtary stores. The next morning he proceeded himself to Lower Sandusky, at which place he arrived in the night following — having travelled a dis- tance of forty miles in seven hours and a half, over roads requiring such exertion to pass them, that the horse of his aid, Major Hakill, fell dead, from fatigue and exhaustion, on their arrival at the fort. He found there, that Gene- ral Perkins had prepared to send a battalion to the Rapids, in conformity with a request from General Winchester. That battalion was dispatched the next morning, the 18th, with a piece of artillery ; but so bad were the roads, that it was unable, by its utmost exertions, to reach the river Raisin, a distance of seventy- five miles, before the fatal disaster. General Harrison then determined to pro- ceed to the Rapids himself, to learn personally from General Winchester his situation and views. At four o'clock on the morning of the 19th, while he still remained at Lower San- dusky, he received the information, that Colo- nel Lewis had been sent with a detachment, to secure the provisions on the river Raisin, and to occupy, with the intention of holding possession of the village of Frenchtown. There 11* 126 LIFE OF was then but one regiment and a battalion at Lower Sandusky — the regiment was immedi- ately put in motion, with orders to make forced marches for the Rapids, while General Harri- son himself immediately proceeded to the same place. On his way, he met an express with intelligence of the victory which had been gained on the preceding day. The anxiety of General Harrison to push forward, and either prevent, or remedy any misfortune which might occur, as soon as he was apprised of the advance to the river Rai- sin, was manifested by the great personal ex- ertions v/hich he made in this instance. He started in a sleigh, with General Perkins, to overtake the battalion under Cotgreve, attend- ed only by a single servant. As the sleigh went very slowly, from the roughness of the road, he took the horse of his servant and pushed on alone. Night came upon him in the midst of the swamp, which was so imper- fectly frozen, that his horse sank to the saddle- girths at every step. He had then no resource but to dismount and lead his horse, jumping himself from one sod to another. When al- most exhausted with the cold and fatigue, the General overtook one of Cotgreve's men, by WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 127 whose assistance he was enabled to reach the cannp of the battalion. Very early on the morning of the 20th, General Harrison arrived at the Rapids, from which place General Winchester had gone, on the preceding evening, with all his disposable force, to the river Raisin. On the same day, by a forced march, Cotgreve's battalion reached the Rapids, and was, without delay, hurried on with two pieces of artillery, to the aid of Winchester — and on the evening of the 21st, three hundred Kentuckians, who had been left behind by Winchester, as a garrison, were likewise ordered to march to Frenchtovvn. The next day intelligence reached the Rapids of Proctor's attack on Winchester's camp, and General Harrison instantly ordered the whole force at that station to be pushed on with all possible expedition, and himself hastened for- ward to the scene of danger. They were soon, however, met by fugitives from the field of battle, from whom they ascertained the' total defeat of Winchester's forces. A council was held of general and field officers, by whom it was decided that it would be imprudent and useless to advance any further. Strong par- ties were then sent out to protect the fugitives 128 LIFE OF from the field of battle and from Frenchtown, and the remainder of the troops returned to the Rapids. It is thus evident that every thing possible, within the control of General Harrison, was done by him to reinforce and aid General Win- chester in the dangerous position he had as- sumed. This expedition of Winchester, to the river Raisin, was highly imprudent, since he advanced within eighteen miles of the head- quarters of the enemy, whose forces were strong and daily increasing, and he, at the same time, removed more than thirty miles from the Rapids, the nearest point from which he could possibly have received any assistance. Still the disastrous result that ensued would no doubt have been avoided, had he adopted the ordinary precautions of fortifying his camp, and stationing videttes to give him timely warning of the approach of the enemy. His troops could then, at least, have defended them- selves until the arrival of the reinforcements from the Rapids, when the enemy would have been compelled to retreat, or, had they fought, the battle would, in all probability, have ter- minated in our favour. After Winchester's defeat, our troops at the WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 129 Rapids amounted to less than nine hundred ef- fective men. General Harrison called a coun- cil of war, who, supposing that their position would be attacked by the enemy in overwhelm- iug force, unanimously recommended that the army should fall back to Portage River, eigh- teen miles distant. The next morning, there- fore, our troops abandoned the Rapids, and re- tired to the designated point, which they strongly fortified. But on the 1st of February, the army, hav- ing been reinforced by the arrival of General Leftwich, with the Virginia brigade and a part of the artillery, augmenting their number to eighteen hundred men, again marched to the Rapids. General Harrison, still entertaining a hope to accomplish the great objects of the campaign, during the winter, continued to ex- ert himself unremittingly in making prepara- tions. But the elements seemed to conspire against him. Instead of the severe cold and intense frosts, that usually prevailed in this northern region at this season, and which would have enabled him to move his forces, military stores, and supplies, with comparative ease and celerity, warm rains broke up the roads, and were followed by heavy falls of 130 LIFE OF snow, which rendered the march of troops ex- ceedingly fatiguing and dangerous, as well as slow, and the conveyance of provisions and heavy munitions of war almost impossible. The unavoidable exposure, too, of the troops to the heavy rains, which kept the encamp- ment almost constantly inundated, the defi- ciency of proper tents to shelter them, and their want even of sufficient food and clothing, produced pleurisies and much other severe sickness in the camp, and greatly reduced the number of effective men.* Under these circumstances. General Harri- son was at length constrained to abandon, though with much reluctance, all thought of the contemplated expedition to Maiden, and he prepared to go into winter quarters at the Rapids. He accordingly selected a good po- sition on the south side of the river, which he strongly fortified, and called Camp Meigs, in * The General's tent, placed in the centre, happened to be in one of the lowest parts of the encampment, and consequently suffered most from the rain ; but, when entreated by his officers to change its position, he refused to do so, declaring that it was necessary that every military man should be satisfied with the situa- tion which, in the course of his duty, fell to his lot. WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 131 honour of the patriotic governor of Ohio. Leaving the army at that station, General Harrison proceeded to Cincinnati, to procure reinforcements of men, and supplies of provi- sions and military stores. About this time, General Harrison was ap- pointed major-general in the service of the' United States. This appointment had been strangely delayed, although General Harrison had been clothed with such extensive powers ; and the people of the West, fearing that their favourite commander might therefore resign at the close of this campaign, had called pub- lic meetings and sent addresses to the presi- dent, requesting him to give Harrison the appointment of major-general, and urging him to accept it — a demonstration of public feeling which soon produced the desired effect. We should here mention, that while engaged in the various and arduous services of this campaign. General Harrison organized several distinct expeditions against the Indian towns, to keep the hostile savages in check, and pro- tect our extended frontier. One of these ex- peditions, consisting of a detachment of six hundred men, under the command of Colonel Campbell, was sent against the towns on the 132 LIFE OF Mississineway, from which our scattering set- tlements had suffered much annoyance. This enterprise was conducted with great skill, and proved signally successful. The principal town was attacked in the most gallant man- ner, and after a desperate action of more than an hour, was carried at the point of the bayo- net. From the general order issued by Har- rison, on the return of this expedition, we make the following extract, which will convey some idea of the humane and generous feel- ings, that have always characterised both his public and private conduct. After awarding these gallant troops the high meed of praise which their bravery had won, he goes on to say — "But the character of this gallant de- tachment, exhibiting as it did, perseverance, fortitude, and bravery, would, however, be incomplete, if, in the midst of victory, they had forgotten the feelings of humanity. It is with the sincerest pleasure that the general has heard, that the most punctual obedience was paid to his orders, in not only saving all the women and children, but in sparing all the warriors who ceased to resist ; and that even when vigorously attacked by the enemy, the claims of mercy prevailed over every sense WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 133 of their own danger, and this heroic band re- spected the h'ves of their prisoners. Let an account of murdered innocence be opened in the records of heaven against our enemies alone. The American soldier will follow the example of his government ; and the sword of the one will not be raised against the fallen and helpless, nor the gold of the other be paid for the scalps of a massacred enemy." What a contrast do these noble sentiments present to the atrocious conduct of the British Gene- ral, Proctor — who, at the cruel massacre at Raisin river, and at the Rapids, basely permit- ted unresisting prisoners of war to be unspar- ingly butchered, by his savage and remorse- less alUes. CHAPTER VIII. Opening of the second Campaign. — Siege at Fort Meigs. — Its gallant Defence. — Brilliant sortie. — De- feat of Colonel Dudley. — The Siege abandoned. — Second Siege of Fort Meigs. — Attack on Fort Ste- phenson. Early in the spring, intelligence was re- ceived that the British were making extensive preparations, and concentrating a large force 12 134 LIFE OF of regular soldiers, Canadians, and Indians, to besiege Fort Meigs. On obtaining this information, General Har- rison hastened to his camp, and exerted the most strenuous efforts, to prepare for this threatened attack of the enemy. His presence cheered the troops, and he inspired them with fresh ardour, on the approach of the enemy, by an eloquent address, in which he alluded modestly, but in the most animating manner, to the neighbouring battle-field, where Gene- ral Wayne had gained the brilliant victory of the Maumee Rapids, and where he himself had won the brightest of his earlier laurels. At this time, the garrison of Fort Meigs was much reduced in numbers, and the period for which those who still remained had enlisted, was about to expire. General Harrison there- fore looked with great anxiety for the arrival of the strong reinforcement of Kentucky troops, who were approaching with all possi- ble dispatch under General Clay ; but whose march had been greatly impeded by the wretched condition of the roads. On the morning of the 28th of April, the scouts brought in intelligence of the near ad- vance of the enemy. And soon after, on that WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 135 day, the British troops were discovered from the fort, ascending the river in vessels and boats, while the Indians, in strong force, were seen approaching, at the same time, by land. The British disembarked and encamped at the old station on the Maumee, nearly two miles below Fort Meigs ; and on the night after they landed, they commenced the construction of three powerful batteries, on the north side of the river, directly opposite our camp. On the first of May, the batteries of the enemy were completed. But to counteract their effect, during the time they had been employed in erecting them, our troops had thrown up a traverse of earth twelve feet in height, and running across the whole extent of the camp. The construction of this tra- verse, being behind the tents of our camp, had been entirely concealed from the British, but as soon as their batteries began to play, these tents were struck, and to the disappointment of the enemy, our troops were safely with- drawn behind the protection of their new for- tification. A severe fire was now opened from the British works, which was returned, with equal vigour and more effect, from the fort. Other batteries were likewise erected by the 136 LIFE OF enemy, on the southern side of the river, and a heavy cannonading was continued, with scarcely any internaission, for five days. In consequence, however, of the skilful disposi- tions of General Harrison, very little loss was suffered on our side. At midnight, on the fourth of May, General Harrison received the welcome intelligence that General Clay with his forces was just above the Rapids, and would arrive at the fort by daybreak of the next morning. Immedi- ately on receiving this information. General Harrison promptly decided to make a bold and vigorous effort to raise the siege, by a simultaneous attack on the enemy's batteries upon both sides of the river. Preparations were at once made for a sortie from the fort, against the British works on the right bank, and an officer was dispatched to General Clay, direct- ing him to land six or eight hundred men about a mile above the fort, on the left bank, with orders to march with great secresy and ra- pidity to the assault of the batteries in that quarter, to carry them by storm, spike the cannon and let down the carriages, and then hasten to their boats and cross over to the camp. The sortie from the fort was attended WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 137 with great success. The detachment ordered -to this service, consisted of three hundred and fifty men, a part of whom were regulars, and the remainder volunteers and Kentucky mili- tia, under the command of Colonel Miller, of the United States' army. These brave troops attacked a body of British regulars and In- dians, of more than double their number ; but the impetuosity of their charge was irresisti- ble, and after a severe struggle, they drove the enemy from the batteries. They spiked the caniion, took a large number of prisoners, and having fully accomphshed their object, returned in triumph to the fort. This sortie was one of the most sanguinary and desperate actions fought during the whole war — and its brilliant success was richly merited, by the intrepid gallantry of the brave troops engaged in the enterprise. General Clay, after detaching Colonel Dud- ley with eight hundred men, to attack the bat- teries on the left bank, descended the river with his troops in boats ; and though endan- gered by the swiftness of the rapids, and strongly opposed by the Indians, he overcame every difficulty, and fought his way, in safety, to the fort. 19 % 138 LIFE OF In the mean time Colonel Dudlcy^s detachment had landed nearly two miles above the enemy's batteries. This movement was so wholly unlooked for, that the attack proved complete- ly successful. The British were taken by sur- prise, and the gallant Kentuckians charging unexpectedly upon them, put them to flight and carried their batteries without the loss of a man. But though the commencement of this enterprise was so well conducted and so sin- gularly fortunate, its result proved far other- wise. When Dudley attacked the batteries, he threw forward a van-guard, consisting of two companies of spies and friendly Indians, under the command of Captain Leslie Combs, whose bravery and intrepidity in the former campaign, as well as the intimate knowledge of the country wdiich he then acquired, had obtained him, though very young, a command over much older officers. Dudley had direct- ed Combs to take possession of the woods skirt- ing the swamp, to prevent the approach of the Indians from^ that quarter; but in the hurry and excitement of the moment, he omitted to give any directions to retire to the boats after the storming of the batteries. Combs, in com- pliance with his orders, posted his men along WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 139 the edge of the swamp — a position which they had not long occupied, before they were at- tacked by outlying parties of Indians, who, every moment increased in numbers. A re- treat to the boats might still have been effected by the van-guard, with very inconsiderable loss ; but Combs, thinking it necessary, from Dudley's instructions, that he should maintain his position, cheered on his men, who, unaided by any reinforcement, bravely resisted the In- dians for some time. By the sacrifice of this small but intrepid body of men, Dudley might even yet have withdrawn the remainder of his troops without much additional loss; but on hearing the report of the Indian rifles, this gal- lant and high-minded officer, conscious of his omission to give the van-guard the necessary orders to retire to their boats, and hoping to bring them off in safety, hastened at once to their support, leaving I^ajor Shelby with but two companies, in charge of the batteries he had taken. He attacked the Indians w^ith great vigour, and, after a sharp action, succeeded in driving them some distance into the swamp. But, meanwhile, the Indians had been continu- ally crossing over from their main body on the opposite side of the river, until their force had 140 LIFE OF increased to overwhelming numbers; and Dud- ley, after repeatedly driving them back by the impetuous charge of his brave Kentuckians, was at last compelled to retreat. He still hoped, however, to make a successful stand against the enemy at the batteries ; but on ap- proaching them, he found, to his mortification, that they had been retaken by a superior force of British troops, to whom, finding themselves entirely surrounded by the Indians, the greater part of his men reluctantly surrendered them- selves. The brave and generous Dudley him- self paid with his life the penalty of his own neglect and thoughtlessness, being killed in this retreat, as were Captain Kilbreath, the second in command to Captain Combs, (who was se- verely wounded), and several other gallant and meritorious ofiicers. Even after the surrender of our troops, the Indians still continued to tomahawk and scalp them without mercy, in the presence of the British commander and his whole army, until the arrival of Tecumthe, who, less savage than Proctor, instantly put a stop to this barbarous massacre. About two hundred of the left wing of Dud- ley's detachment escaped to their boats, and succeeded in reaching the fort ; but more than WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 141 an eighth part of all the men and ofRcers en- gaged in this sanguinary contest were killed, and the remainder were taken prisoners. Thus ended, in signal defeat, an enterprise ably plan- ned, and conducted for a time with great skill and bravery, and which promised such entire- success. But it must be evident to every one, that had the instructions given to Dudley been obeyed, this misfortune could not have occur- red, and the day would have been one of un- clouded success and triumph. Foiled by the skilful dispositions of Harri- son, and by the battle, or rather succession of battles, fought on the fifth, Proctor was com- pelled to abandon the siege of Fort Meigs — and on the eighth of May, he broke up his camp, and retreated in disappointment and dis- grace. Thus terminated the glorious defence of Fort Meigs. Harrison, soon after, left Gene- ral Clay in command of that important post, and, unwearied in his exertions, proceeded to more difficult and arduous duties, at other ex- posed stations. The unceasing efforts of the British, and the restless spirit of Tecumthe, allowed our troops but little time to recover from their se- 142 LIFE OF vere fatigues. In less than two months after the siege of Fort Meigs had been abandoned, ■ the Indians assembled a formidable body of more than five thousand warriors, under their most noted chiefs, and again invested that for- tress. On receiving this intelligence, General Harrison immediately removed his head-quar- ters to Seneca Town, about nine miles up the Sandusky river, where he constructed a forti- fied camp. From this position the general could fall back for the protection of his prin- cipal depot at Upper Sandusky, should the enemy endeavour to turn his flank and attack' that place ; or should the safety of Fort Meigs require it, he could proceed there by an unfre- quented route, and cut his way into the fort with a reinforcement. As soon as the arrival of additional troops should render his force strong enough to cope with that of the enemy in the field, he intended to make a descent upon them from this favourable situation, and raise the siege. The enemy, however, re- mained before Fort Meigs but a few days. On the 28th of July, despairing of success, they again abandoned the siege of this place. The British troops embarked and sailed round to Sandusky Bay, while a large body of their WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 143 savage allies marched across the swamps of Portage River to co-operate with them in a combined attack on Fort Stephenson, a tem- porary depot at Lower Sandusky. At this time the enemy had nearly seven thousand men in the field — two thousand of whom were British regulars and Canadians, and the remainder were warriors of the fiercest Indian tribes. The army under General Har- rison was greatly inferior in numbers, and it became his duty, as a skilful commander, to withdraw his unimportant outposts, to avoid risking unnecessarily the loss of a single sol- dier, and to enable him, by concentrating his forces, to hold the enemy in check, at least, if he should not prove strong enough to give him battle. Fort Stephenson was a temporary and unimportant station, and so commanded by the high ground in its neighbourhood, as to be utterly indefensible against heavy artillery — and such, from their command of the lake, the British could easily transport to its attack. Fully aware of this, from having reconnoitred the ground in person, General Harrison, on learning that this station was about to be as- sailed, thought it proper to withdraw the gar- rison. He accordingly dispatched an order 144 LIFE OF to Major Croghan, directing him to abandon Fort Stephenson, and repair, if practicable, to head-quarters — which were still at Seneca Town, nine miles distant. This order was not received by Major Croghan until the fol- lowing day — when flying parties of the In- dians had become so numerous round the fort, that, as Croghan himself stated, it was too late to carry the order into execution, and he de- cided on maintaining the place. In conse- quence of this disobedience of orders, Colonel Wells was immediately sent, with a strong es- cort of cavalry, to take command of Fort Ste- phenson, and Croghan was ordered to repair forthwith to head-quarters. But on his arrival there, he made such satisfactory explanations to the commander-in-chief, of the situation of the fort, and of his own respectful intentions, that General Harrison at once reinstated him in his command. He returned to his duties the following morning, and on the same day, July 31st, this station was invested by a force of thirteen hundred British regulars and In- dians. They attacked the fort with great vigour, and repeatedly attempted to take it by assault — but they were each time defeated, and were at length forced to abandon their attempt. WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 145 and retreat in confusion, having lost, in killed and wounded, nearly as many as the entire number of the gallant spirits who defended the fort. This defence of a position, which General Harrison had ordered to be abandoned, and the fact of his not having immediately ad- vanced upon the enemy, were seized upon, with avidity, by the ignorant and malicious among his political opponents, who industri- ously circulated the falsest statements and most perverted misrepresentations, in relation to these occurrences. But fortunately, the plain truth soon became so well known, that Gene- ral Harrison's fair fame suffered no injury from these unfounded calumnies. So many gallant officers as well as honourable and high-mind- ed men bore witness, of their own accord, to the military foresight and wisdom of his mea- sures, that no slander which even the malice of his calumniators could devise, ever dark- ened, for a moment, his unsullied reputation. We lay before our readers the following short extracts from an address to the public, relative to this affair, which was voluntarily published by the general, field, and staff-offi- cers, of General Harrison's army. After ex- 13 140 LIFE OF pressing their " regret and surprise, that charges as improper in form as in substance, should have been made against General Harrison, during the recent investment of Lower San- dusky," they go on to say : — " He who believes that with our disposable force, and under the circumstance which then occurred, General Harrison ought to have advanced upon the enemy, must be left to correct his opinion in the school of experience. " On a review of the course then adopted, "we are decidedly of the opinion, that it was such as was dictated by military wisdom, and by a due regard to our circumstances and to the situation of the enemy. * * * * And with a ready acquiescence, beyond the mere claims of military duty, we are prepared to obey a general, whose measures meet our most deliberate approbation, and merit that of his <^ountry." The chivalrous and noble-spirited Croghan, who was one of the signers of the above ad- dress, about the same time published another paper on this subject, dated from Lower San- dusky, in which he says : — " I have, with much regret, seen in some of the public prints such * misrepresentations respecting my refusal to WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 147 evacuate this post, as are calculated not only to injure me in the estimation of military men, but also to excite unfavourable impressions as to the propriety of General Harrison's conduct relative to this affair. "His character as a military man is too well established to need my approbation or support. But his public service entitles him at least to common justice. This affair does not furnish cause of reproach. If public opin- ion has been lately misled respecting his late conduct, it will require but a moment's cool, dispassionate reflection, to convince them of its propriety. The measures recently adopted hy him, so far fr&m deserving censure, are the dearest proofs of his keen penetration and able generalship.^^ We have dwelt on this passage in the life of General Harrison, somewhat longer than is consistent with the brevity and condensed nature of this work — but the political oppo- nents of General Harrison can find so few points in his whole life, that afford them the slightest apology for censure, that they have been driven to pervert and misrepresent an af- fair of so simple a nature as this, and one that, in truth, entitled him, as the gallant Croghan 148 LIFE OF justly says, to the highest commendation. We have therefore thought it no more than com- mon justice to him and to our readers, to lay before them this plain exposition of facts. The wisest and best actions are often misunderstood and perverted by the ignorant or malicious. We trust and believe that the former consti- tute the larger portion of those who have sought to shadow the fair fame of General Harrison ; but while mean and sordid spirits exist, envy and detraction will always pursue exalted merit. Even Washington, the Father of our Country, was intrigued against and ca- lumniated. Disappointed in their hope of plunder, and dispirited by the numerous defeats they had sustained, the savage allies of the British had become discontented ; the second siege of Fort Meigs had been abandoned, and gradu- ally the enemy entirely withdrew from our territory, and concentrated their forces at Maiden, their principal stronghold in Upper Canada, It will thus be seen, that the skill with which General Harrison had conducted his defensive operations, the only resource left him in the face of a superior foe, had been eminently successful ; and had not only pro- WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 149 tected our widely extended frontier, but had eventually forced the enemy to retire, morti- fied and humbled by defeat, from our country. Durino: the whole of this interesting: cam- paign, the vigilance and the intrepidity of General Harrison, with the bravery of his sol- diers, enabled him to keep a far superior force of the enemy in check, and to protect the wide extent of our exposed frontier. Our forts were ably defended, and our troops gal- lantly repelled every attack of the enemy, except in some few instances, where they were assailed by an overwhelming force. CHAPTER IX. Harrison advises the construction of a fleet on Lake Erie. — Perry's Victory. — Embarkation of the army. — ■ Invasion of Canada. — Pursuit of the enemy. — Battle of the Thames and capture of the British army. — Close of the campaign. — Resignation of General Harrison. The activity and enterprise of General Harrison did not long permit the enemy to rest, after their retreat from our territory. He immediately commenced preparations for 13* 150 LIFE OF carrying the war into their own country, and formed his plan for the capture of Maiden, and the conquest of Upper Canada. During the preceding campaign, in his let- ters to the War Department, General Harri- son had lepeatedly urged the great import- ance of obtaining command of Lake Erie, and the immediate necessity for creating a navy for that purpose. In one of his commu- nications he remarks — " Should our oflensive operations be suspended until spring, it is my decided opinion that the cheapest and most effectual plan will be to obtain command of Lake Erie. This being once effected, every difficulty will be removed. An army of four thousand men landed on the north side of the lake, below Maiden, will soon reduce that place, re-take Detroit, and, with the aid of the fleet, proceed down the lake to co-operate with the army from Niagara." In several subsequent letters, he again strenuously urged this plan, until the government at length became convinced of the importance of the measure, and determined upon its adoption. At that time we were not in possession of a single armed vessel above the falls of the Niagara. It was now, however, resolved to proceed WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. ' 151 vigorously to the forming a fleet on Lake Erie, and the gallant Perry was sent to super- intend its building, and to take the command. No effort of activity or skill was spared to hurry the completion and equipment of the vessels ; and early in August, Commodore Perry had the satisfaction of finding that he had a fleet fitted for sea and ready for action, nearly equal in force to that of the enemy. On the 2d of August, he commenced get- ting his heavier vessels over the bar at the mouth of the harbour at Erie. On the 5th, he sailed for Sandusky Bay. On his arrival there, he sent a dispatch to General Harrison at head-quarters, to obtain a company of sol- diers to act as marines. The general visited the fleet accom.panied by several of his oflicers, and sent on board a picked detach- ment of nearly a hundred and fifty men. Commodore Perry then sailed for Maiden, and used every endeavour to bring the British fleet to an engagement. His attempts, for some time, proved ineffectual ; but at last he had the good fortune to meet them, on the 10th of September, and fought that celebrated battle, in which, after a severely-contested action, he succeeded in gaining a brilliant 152 L^FE OF victory and capturing the entire fleet of the enemy. Perry immediately dispatched a messenger to General Harrison, with the following brief but very acceptable note. « U. S. Brig Niagara, Sept. 10th, 1813. Dear General : — We have met the enemy and they are ours — two ships, two brigs, one schooner and a sloop. Yours with great respect and esteem. Oliver Hazard Perry." By a happy coincidence, this glorious event occurred just about the time when General Harrison had matured his plans for the inva- sion of Canada. On the 27th of September, the troops embarked at Sandusky Bay, and advanced towards Maiden, expecting to find the British and Indians encamped there in full force. But upon landing on the Canada shore, they found that Proctor, disheartened by his recent defeats, had abandoned that stronghold, after having destroyed the fort and navy-yard, and had retreated with his regulars and savage allies to Sandwich. This retreat was in op- position to the counsel of Tecumthe, who ad- WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 153 vised Proctor to remain protected by his for- tifications, and fight our troops as they landed. But the guiky fears of Proctor would not suffer him to accede to this more judicious as well as gallant counsel of his savage ally. Our army encamped at Maiden, having at last driven the enemy from their head-quar- ters, and gained possession of that fortress, from which had issued, for years past, those ruthless bands of savages, which had swept so fiercely over our extended frontier, leaving death and destruction only in their path. The army advanced rapidly in pursuit of the enemy, who had retreated up the river Thames, to the Moravian Town — a place which is destined to be remembered as the battle-ground of one of the most remarkable and decisive actions fought during the war. On the evening of the 4th of October, our troops encamped a few miles above the forks of the river ; near which place after a slight skirmish with a flying party of Indians, they gained possession of a large quantity of mili- tary stores and munitions of war, which the enemy had abandoned in their precipitate re- treat. A still larger amount had been de- stroyed, to prevent their falling into our hands. 154 LIFE OF A breastwork was then thrown up around the encampment, which proved to have been a necessary precairtion ; as, during that night, General Proctor and Tecumthe came down the river and reconnoitred our position, with the intention of making an attack before day ; but on seeing its strength, and the care taken to guard against surprise, they were discou- raged and abandoned their scheme. On the morning of the 5th, the troops were under arms at an early hour, and as the day dawned, the army was put in motion. The mounted regiment, with general Harrison and his staft' at their head, led the van ; and the infantry followed as expeditiously as possible, under the command of Governor Shelby of Kentucky, a time-honoured and distinguished veteran of the revolution. By nine o'clock, the advance reached a mill, near which there is a rapid in the river, where it is practicable to ford it on horseback; and at this place General Harrison intended to cross, tHat he might reach the enemy, who were known to be on the north side. Two gunboats and several batteaux laden with military stores and munitions of war, together with several pri- soners, had already been captured that morning, WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 155 and at the mill a lieutenant and eight privates were taken, from whom information was re- ceived that the enemy had determined to give us battle at no great distance from that place. The infantry soon came up with the mounted men, and the passage of the river was effected by twelve o'clock. Each horseman took up one of the infantry behind him, and the re- mainder crossed in canoes. As soon as all the troops were over, the line of march was resumed in the former order. At every place where the road touched a bend of the river, boats and canoes were found, with military stores, clothing and provisions which the enemy had abandoned in their precipitate retreat. After advancing about eight miles, an encampment was discovered, which Colo- nel Warburton had occupied the night before with a part of the British troops ; and it was ascertained that General Proctor had reached the Moravian Town, four miles from this place, with a detachment on the preceding day. As it was now certain that the enemy were nearly overtaken, the general directed the advance of the mounted regiment to hasten their march, with a view to procure the necessary information for regulating the 156 LIFE OF movements of the main body. When they had proceeded about two miles, they captured a British wagoner, who informed them that the enemy were lying in order of battle, only about three hundred yards before them, wait- ing for the arrival of our army. Our scouts confirmed the report of the wagoner, and the troops were halted and formed in order of battle. General Proctor, having had his choice of ground, occupied a strong position, well se- lected to resist the progress of our army. It was flanked on the left by the river Thames, and supported by artillery, and on the right, by two extensive swamps, running nearly parallel to the river and occupied by a strong body of Indians. The British regulars were formed in open order, in two extended lines. The Indians were commanded by Tecumthe in person. Their left flank was posted on the isthmus between the two swamps, and their right extended a considerable distance down the principal marsh. General Harrison drew up one division of his infantry in a double line reaching from the river to the swamp, opposite to Proctor's troops, and the other division at right angles WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 157 to the first, with its front extending along the swamp, with a view of preventing the Indians from turning his left fiank and attacking him in the rear. Johnson's mounted regiment was placed in front of the infantry. The American army advanced in order of battle, and the reconnoitring parties soon brought in exact intelligence of the disposi- tions Proctor had made. Harrison, with the rapid decision of an able general, saw at once the egregious error of his opponent in forming his regular soldiers in extended line, and in- stantly took advantage of it. Aware that troops formed in open order could not resist a vigorous charge of cavalry, he immediately ordered Colonel Johnson to form his regiment of mounted m.en, and dash through the ene- my's line, in close column. This charge was rapidly made, and with the most brilliant suc- cess. The extended and weakened line of the enemy could offer but a feeble resistance to the charge of these gallant troops, who dashed through their ranks, with overwhelming im- petuosity, and wheeling to the right and left, began to pour in a destructive fire upon their rear. Thrown into confusion and disheart- ened by this bold and unexpected manoeuvre, 14 158 LIFE OF and panic-struck at being assailed both in front and rear, the British threw down their arms in dismay, and surrendered at discre- tion. The whole army was captured, with the exception of a few stragglers only, who escaped by an early flight with the cowardly Proctor. The contest with the Indians on the left, was maintained with more obstinacy. They waited until our columns had advanced within a few paces of their concealed position, when they commenced a heavy fire which cut down nearly the whole of our advanced guard. Their fire was warmly returned by our troops, who formed in line, and for a while a warm conflict was sustained with severe execution on both sides. But the Indians were finally driven from their coverts by a vigorous charge, and forced to retreat into the outer swamp — not "however, until they had heard of the entire discomfiture of their aUies, and that their leader, Tecumthe, had been slain. The death of this high-spirited and distinguished chief, who possessed to an un- usual degree all the nobler qualities of the savage warrior in his better days, destroyed the strength of the northern tribes of Indians WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 159 by breaking that bond of union, which his personal influence alone had created, and which therefore terminated with his exist- ence, never again to be renewed to so for- midable an extent. This decisive and important battle was thus fought and won, in a space of time almost incredibly short, and with a very trifling loss only on our side. All the baggage of the enemy, and their valuable military stores and munitions of war, together with the official papers of Proctor, fell into our hands; and several pieces of brass cannon, which had been taken from the British in our revolu- tionary victories at Saratoga and Yorktown, but which Hull had shamefully surrendered at Detroit, were again captured from our ancient foe. The united force of the British regulars and Indians engaged in this battle, amounted to more than 2800. The number of our troops was less than 2500 ; and these were principally militia and volunteers. The venerable Gover- nor Shelby commanded the Kentucky volun- teers in this battle, and General Cass, our pre- sent Minister to France, and the heroic Perry, acted as volunteer aids to General Harrison. 160 LIFE OF This brilliant victory, following up the capture of their fleet on Lake Erie by the gallant Per- ry, entirely destroyed the force of the enemy in Upper Canada, and put an end to the war on our north-western frontier. Upon this, as well as former expeditions, General Harrison adopted a rule, on all occa- sions, to favour himself in nothing, but to share equally with the common soldiers the fatigues and hardships of the campaign. A small va- lise contained all his baggage, except his bed- ding, which consisted of a single blanket only, fastened over his saddle; and even this he gave to Colonel Evans, a British officer, who w^as wounded and taken prisoner in this bat- tle. Thirty-five British officers, prisoners of war, supped with General Harrison on the night after the battle, and all the fare he had it in his power to offer them was fresh 'beef, plainly roasted before a camp fire, without either bread or salt. This had been the food of the army during the expedition, and the ra- tions of the General were always precisely those of the soldiers. On every occasion, in- deed, he made it a point to set an example of fortitude and patience to his men, and to share with them every hardship, difficulty, and dan- WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 161 ger. Whether encamped or marching, the whole army was regularly under arms at day- break ; and, however severe the weather, he never failed to be present, and, indeed, was generally the first officer on horseback in the whole army. On receiving the glorious news of the vic- tory of the Thames, the thanks of Congress were expressed to General Harrison in the warmest manner — and President Madison in his message, dated on the 7th of the following December, declared that " the officer com- manding the North-western army had forced the enemy to a general action, which termi- nated in the capture of the British and disper- sion of the savage force — a result signally hon- our able to Major-General Harrison , hy whose military talents it ivas performed.''^ Among many others, whose grateful feelings found utterance on this occasion, the Hon. Langdon Cheves observed, on the floor of Con- gress, that — " The victory of Harrison was such as would have secured to a Roman gene- ral, in the best days of the Republic, the hon- ours of a triumph." A sentiment which was fully responded to in the complimentary no- tices which he received from every part of the 14* 162 LIFE OF union. Simon Snyder, who was then Gover- nor of Pennsylvania, and the idol of the de- mocracy of that state, said in his address to the Legislature, on this occasion, " The bless- ings of thousands of women and childi^en res- cued from the scalping-knife of the ruthless sav- age of the wilderness, and from the still more savage Proctor, rest on Harrison and his gal- lant army." But the feelings that prompted these expressions were not confined to those individuals, who, from their station, were more particularly called upon to notice the events of the war — they appeared rather to exist uni- versally throughout the country. Our army continued to occupy the battle- ground for two days, employed in burying the dead and collecting the public property of the enemy, of which a large quantity was found .at different places. In addition to the artillery already mentioned, and a great variety of mil- itary stores, more than 5000 stand of small- arms were captured by our troops or destroy- ed by the enemy during this expedition. A large number of the latter had been taken from us at the surrender of Detroit, at the massa- cre of the River Raisin, and at Dudley's de- feat; and their recapture was therefore pecu- WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 163 liarly grateful to our troops, and more espe- cially to the warm-hearted Kerituckians, many of whom joyfully recognized among the spoils the favourite weapons of their old comrades and less fortunate fellow-soldiers. On the 7th of October, the different corps of our armv commenced their return home, having first embarked the greater part of the property they had captured in boats on the Thames, and set fire to the Moravian Town, a small village occupied chiefly by Delaware Indians, who professed to be of the Moravian sect of religion. On the 10th, all the troops arrived with their prisoners at Sandwich. In the mean time General Harrison had con- cluded an armistice with the Indians. A depu- tation of the Ottawas and Chippewas had sued for peace, which the general granted on con- dition that they should give up their alliance with the British, and openly declare in favour of the United States, and that they should bring in their families as hostages for their good behaviour. The Miamies and the Pot- tawatomies, who had been our fiercest oppo- nents, likewise solicited a cessation of hos- tilities, on the same conditions, and agreed to deliver up all their prisoners at Fort Wayne. 164 LIFE OF Disheartened by our victories on Lake Erie, and at the Thames, and separated from the allies who had given them all their supplies, they were now glad to accept our friendship on any terms that would save them from ex- termination by famine or the sword. Having thus entirely defeated the British and subdued the Indians in Upper Canada, General Harrison advanced with a part of his army to the Niagara frontier, and thence to Sackett's Harbour where he left the troops, and proceeded to the seat of government. On his way thither, he passed through New York and Philadelphia ; in which cities he was re- ceived, by the whole population, with the most flattering marks of public honour and distinc- tion. After the necessary delay of a few days at Washington, General Harrison proceeded to Ohio, where important duties required his presence. In the plan for the ensuing campaign, to the surprise and regret of the public. General Harrison was designated for a service, far inferior to that which he had a right to ex- pect. Regardless of the memorable victories which this gallant and experienced officer had won, and unmindful of the various and WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 165 important services which he had rendered to his country, the Secretary of War, the noto- rious John Armstrong, saw fit to assign to him the command of a district, where he would be compelled to remain inactive, while others were appointed to those more arduous duties, which he had heretofore fulfilled with so much honour to himself, and to the nation. As if still unsatisfied with this egregious insult which he had offered to General Harrison, the Secretary of War, on the 25th of April, 1814, appointed a subordinate officer to a separate command within his district, and notified him to that efl^ect. On the receipt of this notification. General Harrison instantly sent in his resignation to the Secretary of War, and at the same time addressed a letter on the subject to President Madison, couched in such simple yet manly language, and ex- pressive of such noble sentiments, that we cannot refrain from quoting it. " I have this day," said General Harrison, "forwarded to the Secretary of War my resignation of the commission I hold in the army. " This measure has not been determined on, without a reference to all the reasons which 166 LIFE OF should influence a citizen who is sincerely attached to the honour and interests of his country, who believes that the war in which we are engaged is just and necessary; and that the crisis requires the sacrifice of every private consideration, which could stand in opposition to the public good. But after giv- ing this subject a most mature consideration, I am perfectly convinced that my retiring from the army is as compatible with the claims of patriotism, as it is with those of my family, and a proper regard for my own feel- ings and honour. "I have no other motive for writing this letter, than to assure you, that my resignation was not produced by any diminution of the interest which I have always taken in the success of your administration, or of respect and attachment for your person. The for- mer can only take place when I forget the repubhcan principles in which I have been educated, and the latter, when I shall cease to regard those feelings which must actuate every honest man, who is conscious of fa- vours that it is out of his power to repay." As soon as Governor Shelby heard of the resignation of General Harrison, he lost no WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 167 time in addressing the president in his usual forcible terms, to prevent its being accept- ed ; but unfortunately for the public interests, the president was then on a visit to Virginia, to which place the letters from General Har- rison and Governor Shelby were forwarded, and that of the latter was not received until after Secretary Armstrong, ivithoiit the pre- vious consent of the president, had assumed to himself the high prerogative of accepting the resignation. The president expressed his great regret that the letter of Governor Shelby had not been received earlier, as in that case the valuable services of General Harrison would have been preserved to the nation in the ensuing campaign. In this resignation, General Harrison dis- played the true patriotism and disinterested- ness, which have always marked his conduct. He would cheerfully have devoted his ser- vices to his country, even in an appointment inferior to that which should have been as- signed to him ; but he was too high-principled to retain his rank, by yielding assent to a measure, which he considered to be subver- sive of military order and discipline; and though his own fortune had been shattered by 168 LIFE OF the neglect of his private affairs, for the bene- fit of the pubhc, and it would therefore have been exceedingly convenient to have retained the rank and pay of a major general ; yet he scorned to receive the emoluments of his office, when he was no longer permitted to perform its duties actively and honourably. It would be difficult at this period, to trace out the true motives that induced the Secre- tary of War to the unjustifiable course he pursued in this afiair. But some knowledge of those events of the war in wdiich he bore a part, with a little insight into human nature, would suggest that the leading causes which prompted him, were the envy and jealousy, which a narrow-minded man would naturally feel, on contrasting his own feeble efforts, and abortive attempts, with the consummate skill, the brilliant victories, and the almost uniform successes of another. That he had acted in an arbitrary and unwarrantable manner, was afterwards clearly proved. — And in the inves- tigation which took place in Congress in the winter of 1816-17, it became so evident that General Harrison had been treated with great injustice by the war department, that a reso- lution, giving him a gold medal and the thanks WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 169 of Congress, was passed, with but one dissent- ing voice in both houses of Congress. The leading events in the campaign of 1812-13,— the gallant defence of Fort Meigs, and the decisive victory of the Thames, are lasting memorials of General Harrison's mili- tary genius. Yet, for those isolated actions, he deserves far less praise than for the skilful operations and the Fabian policy, which led to these and other successes. The prudent care and indefatigable exertions, by which he provided for his army in a wild and almost impassable country — the promptness and un- wearied activity, with which he met and de- feated the schemes of his antagonists — and the admirable skill, with which he held in check an enemy far superior in numbers, and with a small force protected an extended line of frontier, and guarded the lives and property of thousands of his fellow-citizens, betokened a genius of the highest order, with a vigorous mind constantly on the alert. 15 i: 170 LIFE OF CHAPTER X. Appointment of General Harrison as Commissioner to treat with the Indians. — His election to Congress. — Is chosen a Senator of the State Legislature. — His - election to the Senate of the United States. — Is ap- pointed Minister to Colombia. — His Letter to Bolivar. — His recall. — His personal appearance and private Character, — His Letter to Harmar Denny. Soon after the resignation of General Har- rison, in the summer of 1814, President Madi- son evinced an unabated confidence in his abilities and ' integrity by appointing him to treat with the Indians, in conjunction with his old companions in arms. Governor Shelby and General Cass. In the following year, he was placed at the head of another commission, appointed to treat with the north-western tribes. The honourable and advantageous treaties made in both these cases, afforded new in- stances of the unfailing success, that has al- ways attended General Harrison's negotia- tions with the Indians. In 1816, he was elected, by a large majo- rity, a member of the House of Representa- tives in Congress, from Ohio. During the fol- lowing session, there occurred in the House WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 171 of Representatives the interesting and cele- brated debate on the conduct of General Jack- son in the Seminole war — on which occasion, General Harrison delivered an able and elo- quent speech. He praised General Jackson for his gallantry; defended such of his acts as he thought right, and gave him credit for patriotic motives ; but he voted in favour of the resolution to censure him for the unwar- rantable power he had assumed in taking pos- session of the Spanish posts. This speech and vote were never forgiven by General Jackson. General Harrison continued to serve in the House of Representatives of the United States, greatly to his own honour and to the satisfac- tion of his constituents, until 1819; when, on the expiration of his term of service, he was chosen to the Senate of the State Legislature. In 1824, General Harrison was elected a Senator of the United States ; and soon after taking his seat was appointed Chairman of the Military Committee, in place of General Jack- son, who had resigned. , While serving in this high station, he commanded universal respect. His views as a statesman were liberal and ex- tended, — his remarkable readiness in debate soon rendered him a prominent member, — » 172 LIFE OF and the nervous and impassioned eloquence, and classical felicity of illustration, with which he enforced his arguments, gained him much influence. As Chairman of the Military Committee, General Harrison introduced a bill for the prevention of desertion in the army. This object, with his customary and generous hu- manity, he proposed to effect, not by increas- ing the punishment, but by raising the moral character of the army ; by elevating the grade of the non-commissioned officer ; by increas- ing his pay and responsibility ; and by hold- ing out additional inducements to the common soldier to perform his duty faithfully. He likewise devoted himself warmly to the sub- ject of military pensions; and endeavoured to procure the passage of a uniform law em- bracing the cases of all those who then were, or who should be deserving of that species of honourable reward and justice from their country. His efforts, on this occasion, in fa- vour of the surviving soldiers of the revolu- tion, will not soon be forgotten by the de- scendants of those heroes. In 1828, General Harrison was appointed by President Adams, envoy extraordinary and WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 173 minister plenipotentiary to the Republic of Co- lombia. He accepted this appointment, and proceeding immediately upon his mission, land- ed at Maracaybo on the 22d of December, in that year, and thence repaired to Bogota, the capital of Colombia. He was received with the most flattering demonstrations of respect ; but his liberal ideas, his stern integrity, and the plain republican simplicity of his dress and manners, were too strongly in contrast with the arbitrary opinions, and the ostentatious display of the Court at Bogota, to permit him long to remain a favourite with the public offi- cers and the courtiers of the Colombian Go- vernment. They soon began to fear that the people would perceive the difference between a real and a pretended patriot, and that a com- parison so disadvantageous to themselves might perhaps seriously interfere with their grasping ambition for the future. But though too honest and pure-minded to be a favourite at this court. General Harrison's intelhgence, his strict attention to the, duties of his office, and his manly and gallant bearing commanded universal respect. The Republic of Colombia was at that time in a very deplorable condition; the people 15* 174 LIFE OF were ignorant of their rights, and almost in a state of anarchy ; and BohVar was apparently about to assume the despotic power of a mili- tary dictator. Shocked at this state of things, General Harrison, with the frankness of an old soldier, wrote his celebrated letter to Boli- var, not in his diplomatic capacity, but as a personal friend, and addressed him in a strain of noble and thrilling eloquence which has rarely been equalled. So chaste and vigorous is the language of this letter, and so deeply is it imbued with the purest and most exalted sentiments of republican freedom, that, limited as our space is, we cannot refrain from giving it to our readers entire. " Bogota^ 27th September, 1829. Sir : — If there is any thing in the style, the mat- ter, or the object, of this letter, which is cal- culated to give offence to your Excellency, I am persuaded you will readily forgive it, when you reflect on the motives which in- duced me to write it. An old soldier could possess no feelings but those of the kindest' character, towards one who has shed so much lustre on the profession of arms ; nor can a WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 175 citizen of the country of Washington cease to wish that, in Bolivar, the world might be- hold another instance of the highest military attainments united with the purest patriotism, and the greatest capacity for civil govern- ment. Such, sir, have been the fond hopes, not only of the people of the United States, but of the friends of liberty throughout the world. I will not say that your Excellency has formed projects to defeat these hopes. But there is no doubt, that they have not only been formed, but are, at this moment, in progress to matu- rity, and openly avowed by those who possess your entire confidence. I will not attribute to these men impure motives ; but can they be disinterested advisers ? Are they not the very persons who will gain most by the proposed change ? — who will, indeed, gain all that is to be gained, without furnishing any part of the equivalent ? That that, the price of their fu- ture weahh and honours, is to be furnished exclusively by yourself? And of what does it consist? Your great character. Such a one, that, if a man were wise, and possessed of the empire of the Csesars in its best days, he would give all to obtain. Are you pre- 176 LIFE OF pared to make this sacrifice, for such an ob- ject? I am persuaded that those who advocate these measures, have never dared to induce you to adopt them, by any argument founded on your personal interests ; and that, to suc- ceed, it would be necessary to convince you that no other course remained, to save the country from the evils of anarchy. This is the question, then, to be examined. Does the history of this country, since the adoption of the constitution, really exhibit un- equivocal evidence that the people are unfit to be free ? Is the exploded opinion of a Euro- pean philosopher, of the last age, that " in the new hemisphere, man is a degraded being,*' to be renewed, and supported by the example of Colombia ? The proofs should, indeed, be strong, to induce an American to adopt an opinion so humiliating. Feeling always a deep interest in the suc- cess of the revolutions in the late Spanish America, I have never been an inattentive ob- server of events pending, and posterior to the achievement of its independence* In these events, I search in vain for a single fact to show thatj in Colombia at least, the state of WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 177 society is unsuited to the adoption of a free gov^ernment. Will it be said that a free go- vernment did exist, but, being found inade- quate to the objects for which it had been in- stituted, it has been superseded by one of a different character, with the concurrence of a majority of the people? It is the most difficult thing in the world for me to believe that a people in the posses- sion of their rights as freemen, would ever be willing to surrender them, and submit them- selves to the will of a master. If any such instances are on record, the power thus trans- ferred has been in a moment of extreme pub- lic danger, and then limited to a very short period. I do not think that it is by any means certain, that the majority of the French peo- ple favoured the elevation of Napoleon to the throne of France. But, if it were so, how different were the circumstances of that coun- try from those of Colombia, when the consti- tution of Cucuta was overthrown I At the period of the elevation of Napoleon to the first consulate, all the powers of Europe were the open or secret enemies of France — civil war raged within her borders ; the hereditary- king possessed many partisans in every pro- 178 LIFE OF vince ; the people, continually betrayed by the factions which murdered and succeeded each other, had imbibed a portion of their ferocity, and every town and village witnessed the in- discriminate slaughter of both men and wo- men, of all parties and principles. Does the history of Colombia, since the expulsion of the Spaniards, present any parallel to these scenes ? Her frontiers have been never seri- ously menaced — no civil war raged — not a partisan of the former government was to be found in the w^hole extent of her territory — no factions contended with each other for the possession of power ; the executive govern- ment remained in the hands of those to whom it had been committed by the people, in a fair election. In fact, no people ever passed from under the yoke of a despotic government, to the enjoyment of entire freedom, with less dis- position to abuse their newly acquired power, than those of Colombia. They submitted, in- deed, to a continuance of some of the most arbitrary and unjust features which distin- guished the former government. If there was any disposition, on the part of the great mass of the people, to effect any change in the ex- isting order of things ; if the Colombians act WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 179 from the same motives and upon the same principles which govern mankind elsewhere, and in all ages, they would have desired to take from the government a part of the power, which, in their inexperience, they had confided to it. • The monopoly of certain articles of agricultural produce, and the oppressive duty of the Alcavala, might have been tolerated, until the last of their tyrants were driven from the country. But when peace was restored, when not one enemy remained within its bor- ders, it might reasonably have been supposed that the people would have desired to abolish these remains of arbitrary government, and substitute for them some tax more equal and accordant with republican principles. On the contrary, it is pretended that they had become enamoured with these despotic measures, and so disgusted with the freedom they did enjoy, that they were more than wil- ling to commit their destinies to the uncon- trolled will of your Excellency. Let me assure you, sir, that these assertions will gain no credit with the present generation, or with posterity. They will demand the facts which induced a people, by no means deficient in intelligence, so soon to abandon the principles 180 LIFE OF for which they had so gallantly fought, and tamely surrender that Uberty, which had been obtained at the expense of so much blood. And what facts can be produced 1 It cannot be said that life and property were not as well protected under the republican government, as they have ever been ; nor that there existed any opposition to the constitution and laws, too strong for the ordinary powers of the go- vernment to put down. If the insurrection of General Paez, in Ve- nezuela, is adduced, I would ask, by what means was he reduced to obedience ? Your Excellency, the legitimate head of the repub- lic, appeared, and, in a moment, all opposition ceased, and Venezuela was restored to the republic. But, it is said, that this was effected by your personal influence, or the dread of your military talents, and that, to keep Gene- ral Paez, and other ambitious chiefs, from dismembering the republic, it was necessary to invest your Excellency with the extraordi- nary powers you possess. There would be some reason in this, if you had refused to act without these powers; or, having acted as you did, you had been unable to accomplish any thing without them. But you succeeded WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 181 completely, and there can be no possible rea- son assigned, why you would not have suc- ceeded, with the same means, against any" future attempt of General Paez, or any other general. There appears, however, to be one senti- ment, in which all parties unite ; that is, that,, as matters now stand, you alone can save the- country from ruin, at least, from much ca- lamity. They differ, however, very widely,, as to the measures to be taken to put your Excellency in the way to render this impor- tant service. The lesser, and more interested party, is for placing the government in your hands for life ; either with your present title, or with one which, it must be confessed, bet- ter accords with the nature of the powers to be exercised. If they adopt the less offensive title, and if they weave into their system some apparent checks to your will, it is only for the- purpose of masking, in some degree, their real object ; which is nothing short of the establish- ment of a despotism. The plea of necessity, that eternal argument of all conspirators, an- cient or modern, against the rights of man- kind, will be resorted to, to induce you to accede to their measures; and the unsettled 16 182 LIFE OF state of the country, which has been design- edly produced by them, will be adduced as evidence of that necessity. There is but one way for your Excellency to escape from the snares which have been so artfully laid to entrap you, and that is, to stop short in the course which, unfortunately, has been already commenced. Every step you advance, under the influence of such councils, will make retreat more difficult, until it will become impracticable. You will be told that the intention is only to vest you with authority to correct what is wrong in the administration, and to put down the factions, and that, when the country once enjoys tranquillity, the go- vernment may be restored to the people. Delusive will be the hopes of those who rely upon this declaration. The promised hour of tranquillity will never arrive. If events tended to produce it, they would be counteracted by the government itself It was the strong re- mark of a former President of the United States, that, " Sooner will the lover be con- tented with the first smiles of his mistress, than a government cease to endeavour to pre- serve and extend its powers." With whatever reluctance your Excellency may commence WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 183 the career ; with whatever disposition to aban- don it, when the obiects for which it was com- menced have been obtained ; when once fairly- entered, you will be borne along by the irre- sistible force of pride, habit of command, and, indeed, of self-preservation, and it will be im- possible to recede. But, it is said, that it is for the benefit of the people that the proposed change is to be made ; and that by your talents and influence, alone, aided by unlimited power, the ambi- tious chiefs in the difl^erent departments are to be restrained, and the integrity of the republic preserved. I have said, and I most sincerely believe, that, from the state into which the country has been brought, you alone can preserve it from the horrors of anarchy. But I cannot conceive that any extraordinary powers are necessary. The authority to see that the laws are executed ; to call out the strength of the country, to enforce their exe- cution, is all that is required, and is what is possessed by the Chief Magistrate of the United States, and of every other republic ; and is what was confided to the executive, by the constitution of Cucuta. Would your talents or your energies be impaired in the 184 LIFE OF council, or the field, or your influence less- ened, when acting as the head of a republic ? I propose to examine, very briefly, the re- sults which are likely to flow from the pro- posed change of government: 1st, in relation to the country ; and 2d, to yourself, personally. Is the tranquillity of the country to be secured hy it ? Is it possible for your Excellency to believe, that when the mask has been thrown off', and the people discover that a despotic government has been fixed upon them, they wall quietly submit to it? Will they forget the pass-word which, like the cross of fire, was the signal for rallying to oppose their for- mer tyrants ? Will the virgins, at your bid- ding, cease to chaunt the songs of liberty, which so lately animated the youth to vic- tory? Was the patriotic blood of Colombia all expended in the fields of Vargas, Bayaca, and Carebobo? The schools may cease to enforce upon their pupils the love of country, drawn from the examples of Cato and the Bruti, Harmodius and Aristogiton; but the glorious example of patriotic devotion, ex- hibited in your own hacienda, will supply their place. Depend on it, sir, that the mo- ment which shall announce the continuance WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 185 of arbitrary power, in your hands, will be the commencement of commotions which will require all your talents and energies to sup- press. You may succeed. The disciplined army, at your disposal, may be too powerful for an unarmed, undisciplined, and scattered population; but one unsuccessful effort will not content them, and your feelings will be eternally racked by being obliged to make war upon those who have been accustomed to call you their father, and to invoke bless- ings on your head, and for no cause but their adherence to principles which you yourself had taught them to regard more than their lives. If by the strong government which the ad- vocates for the proposed change so strenuously recommend, one without responsibility is in- tended, which may put men to death, and im- mure them in dungeons, without trial, and one where the army is every thing, and the people nothing, I must say, that, if the tranquillity of Colombia, is to be preserved in this way, the wildest anarchy would be preferable. Out of that anarchy a better government might arise ; but the chains of military despotism once fas- 16* 186 LIFE OF tened upon a nation, ages might pass away before they could be shaken off. But I contend that the strongest of all go- vernments is that which is most free. We consider that of the United States as the strongest, precisely because it is the most free. It possesses the faculties, equally to protect itself from foreign force or internal convulsion. In both, it has been sufhciently tried. In no country upon earth, would an armed opposition to the laws be sooner or more effectually put down. Not so much by the terrors of the guillotine and the gibbet, as from the aroused determination of the nation, exhibiting their strength, and convincing the factious that their cause was hopeless. No, sir, depend upon it, that the possession of ar- bitrary power, by the government of Colom- bia, will not be the means of securing its tran- quillity; nor will the danger of disturbances solely arise from the opposition of the people. The power, and the military force which it will be necessary to put in the hands of the governors of the distant provinces, added to the nature of the country, will continually pre- sent to those officers the temptation, and the means of revolt. WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 187 Will the proposed change restore prosperity to the country ? With the best intentions to do so, will you be able to recall commerce to its shores and give new life to the drooping state of agriculture ? The cause of the con- stant decline, in these great interests, cannot be mistaken. It arises from the fewness of those who labour, and the number of those who are to be supported by that labour. To support a swarm of luxurious and idle monks, and an army greatly disproportioned to the resources of the country, with a body of offi- cers, in a tenfold degree disproportioned to the army, every branch of industry is op- pressed with burdens which deprive the inge- nious man of the profits of his ingenuity, and the labourer of his reward. To satisfy the constant and pressing demands which are made upon it, the treasury seizes upon every thing within its grasp — destroying the very germ of future prosperity. Is there any pros- pect that these evils will cease with the pro- posed change? Can the army be dispensed with ? Will the influence of the monks be no longer necessary? Believe me, sir, that the support which the government derives from 188 LIFE OF both these sources, will be more than ever requisite. But the most important inquiry is, the effect which this strong government is to have upon the people themselves. Will it tend to im- prove and elevate their character, and fit them for the freedom which it is pretended is ulti- mately to be bestowed upon them 1 The question has been answered from the age of Homer. Man does not learn under oppres- sion those noble qualities and feelings which fit him for the enjoyment of liberty. Nor is despotism the proper school in which to ac- quire the knowledge of the principles of re- publican government. A government whose revenues are derived from diverting the very sources of wealth from its subjects, will not find the means of improving the morals and enlightening the minds of the youth, by sup- porting the systems of liberal education ; and, if it could, it would not. In relation to the effect which this invest- ment of power is to have upon your happiness and your fame, will the pomp and glitter of a court, and the flattery of venal courtiers, re- ward you for the troubles and anxieties attendant upon the exercise of sovereignty, WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 189 every where, and those which will flow^ from your peculiar situation 1 Or power, supported by the bayonet, for that willing homage which you were wont to receive from your fellow- citizens? The groans of a dissatisfied and oppressed people will penetrate the inmost recesses of your palace, and you will be tor- tured by the reflection, that you no longer possess that place in their affections, which was once your pride and your boast, and which would have been your solace under every reverse of fortune. Unsupported by the people, your authority can be maintained, only, by the terrors of the sword and the scaf- fold. And have these ever been successful under similar circumstances? Blood may smother, for a period, but can never extin- guish the fire of liberty, which you have con- tributed so much to kindle, in the bosom of every Colombian. I will not urge, as an argument, the per- sonal dangers to which you will be exposed. But I will ask if you could enjoy life, which would be preserved by the constant execution of so many human beings — your countrymen, your former friends, and almost your wor- shippers. The pangs of such a situation will 190 LIFE OF be made more acute, by reflecting on the hal- lowed motive of many of those who would aim their daggers at your bosom ; — that, like the last of the Romans, they would strike, not from hatred to the man, but love to the country. From a knowledge of your own disposition, and present feelings, your Excellency will not be willing to believe, that you could ever be brought to commit an act of tyranny, or even to execute justice wdth unnecessary rigour. But trust me, sir, that there is nothing more corrupting, nothing more destructive of the noblest and finest feelings of our nature, than the exercise of unlimited power. The man who, in the beginning of such a career, might shudder at the idea of taking away the life of a fellow-being, might soon have his conscience so seared by the repetition of crime, that the agonies of his murdered victims might become music to his soul, and the drippings of his scaffold afford "blood enough to swim in." History is full of such examples. From this disgusting picture, permit me to call the attention of your Excellency to one of a different character. It exhibits you as the constitutional chief magistrate of a free WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 191 people, giving to their representatives the influ- ence of your great name and talents, to reform the abuses which, in a long reign of tyranny and misrule, have fastened upon every branch of the administration. The army, and its swarm of officers, reduced within the limits of real usefulness, placed on the frontiers, and no longer permitted to control public opinion, and be the terror of the peaceful citizen. By the removal of this incubus from the treasury, and the establishment of order, responsibility, and economy, in the expenditures of the go- vernment, it would soon be enabled to dispense with the odious monopolies, and the duty of the Alcavala, which have operated with so malign an effect upon commerce and agricul- ture, and, indeed, upon the revenues which they were intended to augment. No longer oppressed by these shackles, industry would everywhere revive : the farmer and the arti- san, cheered by the prospect of ample reward for their labour, would redouble their exer- tions : foreigners, with their capital and skill in the arts, would crowd hither, to enjoy the advantages which would scarcely elsewhere be found: and Colombia would soon exhibit the reality of the beautiful fiction of Fenelon — 192 LIFE OF Salentum rising from misery and oppression to prosperity and happiness, under the coun- cils and direction of the concealed goddess. What objection can be urged against this course? Can any one, acquainted with the circumstances of the country, doubt its suc- cess in restoring and maintaining tranquillity ? The people would certainly not revolt against themselves ; and none of the chiefs who are supposed to be factiously incHned, would think of opposing the strength of the nation, when directed by your talents and authority. But it is said, that the want of intelligence amongst the people unfits them for the govern- ment. Is it not right, however, that the ex- periment should be fairly tried? I have al- ready said, that this has not been done. For myself, I do not hesitate to declare my firm belief that it will succeed. The people of Co- lombia possess many traits of character suita- ble for a republican government. A more orderly, forbearing, and well-disposed people are nowhere to be met with. Indeed, it may safely be asserted, that their faults and vices are attributable to the cursed government to which they have been so long subjected, and to the intolerant character of the religion, WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 193 whilst their virtues are all their own. But, admitting their present want of intelligence, no one has ever doubted their capacity to ac- quire knowledge, and under the strong motives which exist, to obtain it ; supported by the in- fluence of your excellency, it would soon be obtained. To yourself the advantage would be as great as to the country ; like acts of mercy, the blessings would be reciprocal ; your per- sonal happiness secured, and your fame ele- vated to a height which would leave but a single competitor in the estimation of pos- terity. In bestowing the palm of merit the w^orld has become wiser than formerly. The successful warrior is no longer regarded as entitled to the first place in the temple of fame. Talents of this kind have become too common, and too often used for mischievous purposes, to be regarded as they once were. In this enlightened age, the mere hero of the field, and the successful leader of armies, may for the moment attract attention. But it will be such as is bestowed upon the passing meteor, whose blaze is no longer remembered, when it is no longer seen. To be esteemed emi- nently great, it. is necessary to be eminently 17 194 LIFE OF good. The qualities of the hero and the general must be devoted to the advantage of mankind, before he will be permitted to as- sume the title of their benefactor ; and the station which he will hold in their regard and affections will depend, not upon the number and the splendour of his victories, but upon the results and the use he may make of tho influence he acquires from them. If the fame of our Washington depended upon his military achievements, would the common consent of the world allow him the pre-eminence he possesses ? The victories at Trenton, Monmouth and York, brilliant as they were, exhibiting, as they certainly did, the highest grade of military talents, are scarcely thought of The source of the vene- ration and esteem which are entertained for his character, by every description of politicians — the monarchist and aristocrat, as well as the republican, is to be found in his undevi- ating and exclusive devotedness to the interest of his country. No selfish consideration was ever suffered to intrude itself into his mind. For his country he conquered; and the un- rivalled and increasing prosperity of that country is constantly adding fresh glory to his WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 195 name. General, the course which he pursued is open to you, and it depends upon yourself to attain the eminence which lie has reached before you. To the eyes of military men, the laurels you won on the fields of Vargas, Bayaca and Ca- rebobo will be for ever green ; but will that content you? Are you willing that your name should descend to posterity, amongst the mass of those whose fame has been derived from shedding human blood, without a single ad- vantage to the human race ? Or shall it be united to that of Washington, as the founder and the father of a great and happy people ? The choice is before you. The friends of hberty throughout the world, and the people of the United States in particular, are w^aiting your decision with intense anxiety. Alexan- der toiled and conquered to attain the applause of the Athenians ; w' ill you regard as nothing the opinions of a nation which has evinced its superiority over that celebrated people, in the science most useful to man, by having carried into actual practice a system of government of which the wisest Athenians had but a gUmpse in theory, and considered as a blessing never to be realized, however ardently to be 196 LIFE OF desired ? The place which you are to occupy- in their esteem depends upon yourself. Fare- well. W. H. HARRISON. General Harrison remained in Colombia but a short time — as General Jackson, on coming into power, availed himself of the earliest op- portunity to evince the resentment which the remembrance of Harrison's speech on the Seminole war had left still rankhng in his bo- som, by recalling him from this mission almost immediately after he had taken possession of the Presidential chair. Since the return of General Harrison from Colombia, he has Hved in comparative retire- ment, upon his farm at North Bend, on the Ohio, about fifteen miles below Cincinnati. With the most enticing opportunities of accu- mulating wealth, during his long government of Indiana, and superintendency of Indian af- fairs, he acquired none ; his honest and scru- pulous integrity were proof against the golden temptations. His time and best energies were devoted to the service of his country, and his own interests were ever, with him, a seconda- ry consideration. He even, when Governor WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 197 of Indiana, greatly diminished the usual emolu- ments of such an office, by refusing to accept any of those fees, whether as governor or su- perintendent of Indian Affairs, which, before his time, had been customarily paid. For his services as commander of the expedition to Tippecanoe, he never asked nor received any compensation. And subsequently, when in command of our North-western army, though he lived as frugally and fared as hardly as any of his fellow-citizens in the ranks, yet, at his own expense, he purchased clothing and ne- cessary comforts for his sick and wounded soldiers, until he not only exhausted his pay as commander-in-chief, but seriously encroached too on his own private means. He therefore retired without the spoils of office, and with only a competency barely sufficient for his support ; but rich in what he esteemed of far greater value — in a reputation undimmed by a single tarnish, and in the honour and respect of all his fellow-citizens. We cannot refrain here from alluding to a circumstance which evinces the peculiar deli- cacy and honour which have always swayed General Harrison in his pecuniary transac- tions. A few years ago, it was ascertained 17* 198 LIFE OF that a large tract of land near Cincinnati which had been sold some time before for a mere trifle, under an execution against the ori- ginal proprietor, could not be held by the titles derived from the purchasers, on account of some irregularity in the proceedings. The legal title was in General Harrison and an- other gentleman, who were the heirs at law. This tract of land was exceedingly valuable and would have constituted a princely estate for both these heirs, had they chosen to insist on their legal rights — or they might have made some amicable arrangement with the purcha- sers, to which they would gladly have assent- ed, and have retained at least one half of this property, by giving up the remainder. But General Harrison had never yet suffered his interest to blind Iris true sense of justice and high-minded honour, nor did he in this instance. On being informed of the situation of this pro- perty, he obtained the assent of his co-heir, and immediately executed deeds in fee simple to the purchasers, without claiming any con- sideration except the trifling difference be- tween the actual value of the land when sold and the amount paid at the sherifl''s sale. There were in this tract, too, twelve acres of WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 199 General Harrison's private property by dona- tion from his father-in-law, which had been improperly included in the sale, and which he might have retained both legally and equitably — but such was his nice sense of honour and scrupulous regard for the rights of others, that he suffered even these twelve acres to be in- cluded in the deed given to the purchasers. This portion of the land thus relinquished by General Harrison is now worth .more than one hundred thousand dollars ! In person, General Harrison is tall and slen- der; his features are irregular, but bold and strongly marked ; his eyes are dark, keen, and penetrating, his forehead is high and expan- sive, his mouth peculiarly denotes firmness and genius, and the expression of his counte- nance is highly indicative of intelligence and benevolence of character. From early man- hood he has never had the appearance of pos- sessing a robust constitution, but from the ac- tivity and temperate habits of his past life, few men at his age enjoy their moral and physical energies in such remarkable vigour. His man- ners are plain, frank, and unassuming, and his disposition is cheerful, kind, and generous, al- most to a fault. In his private intercourse he 200 LIFE OF is beloved and esteemed by all who know him. In the various civil and military offices he has held, he has always been moderate and for- bearing, yet firm and true to his trust. No other commander has ever been more popular with our militia ; and the true secret of this cannot be better explained than by his own reply, when asked how he had gained this in- fluence : " By treating them," said he, " with affection and kindness ; by always recollect- ing that they were my fellow-citizens, whose feelings I was bound to respect ; and by shar- ing with them, on every occasion, the hard- ships which they were obliged to undergo." His suavity of manners, his generosity and kindness of heart, invariablv won him the warm affections of those who were placed under his authority; while his moderation, his disinterest- edness, his scrupulous attention to the pubhc interests, and the wisdom with which he exer- cised the extensive powers entrusted to him, commanded the respect and confidence of his fellow-citizens. General Harrison is likewise strictly and truly a pious man. Though he has always been noted for his particular attention to pub- lic worship and Christian offices, yet religion WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 201 "with him has not been a Sabbath-day garment only, but rather an every-day familiar habit — not a mere sense of incumbent dutv, but a warm and spontaneous feeling, kindled into life in his early youth, and forming the hope and firm reliance of his manhood and declin- ing years. The writer of this biography deems it no betrayal of confidence to say that he has more than once, on entering at day-break the chamber of General Harrison, found him on his knees at his bedside, absorbed in his devo- tions to his Maker, when he could not have supposed that any eye save that of his God was resting on him. An incident, which occurred in Philadelphia on the visit of General Harrison to that city, in 1836, will serve, in some measure, to illus- trate the peculiar depth and single-heartedness of his truly Christian and devotional feelings. On the evening preceding the only Sabbath he then spent in that city, he was visited by two of his warm political friends, who stated to him, that as there were in Philadelphia two religious sects which comprised a much larger number of followers than any others, they thought it would be good policy in him to at- tend divine service at a church of one of these 202 LIFE OF sects in the morning, and at a church of the other in the afternoon — and that they had, therefore, made arrangements to that effect. His reply was singularly characteristic. " Gen- tlemen," said he, after a moment's pause, " I thank you sincerely for your kindness, and re- gret only that I cannot take advantage of it — but I have already promised to attend divine service to-morrow, and when I go to Church I go to worship my God and not to electioneer.^^ This plain and simple reply came evidently from the heart, and carried a perfect convic- tion of its truth and sincerity to the minds of all who heard it. In the republican institutions of our country, birth and parentage are comparatively of very little importance ; and no candidate for public favour can found thereon the slightest claim to the respect or the support of his fellow-citi- zens. We have happily shaken off the thrall- ing prejudices of the old world, and a title to office and honourable distinction is not with us hereditary ; but every man must earn his own good name, and his claim on the favour of the people, by his own good deeds. Yet, aware, as every one must be, of the powerful influence of early education, it is worthy of WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 203 remark, as well as gratifying to know, that a candidate for ptibiic office, in whom we feel an interest, passed all the early years of his life with the brightest examples of virtue con- stantly before him ; and under the parental tui- tion of one of those illustrious patriots, whose memory is revered by every true-hearted American. It is pleasing to be assured, that his first political sentiments were imbibed in a ischool of the purest republican principles. And when we trace up the career of this individual, from the spring-time of his youth, to the sum- mer of his manhood, and to the early autumn of his years, and see those principles closely adhered to throughout, we can scarcely resist the conviction, that his future course will be consistent with the past ; and that, with ma- tured abihties, he will be still more conspicu- ous for his republican principles, his modera- tion in office, his firm integrity, and his extend- ed and enlightened views as a statesman. Such were the early advantages of William Henry Harrison ; such has been his course thus far through fife ; and such is now the bright pro- mise, to a realization of which we may safely look forward, should the people see fit to place him in office. 204 LIFE OF The principles that would govern General Harrison, should he be elected to the Presi- dency, may be known by the following ex- tracts from a letter addressed by him to the Hon. Harmar Denny, on the 2d of December, 1838. " Among the principles proper to be adopt- ed by any Executive sincerely desirous to re- store the administration to its original simpli- city and purity, I deem the following to be of prominent importance. "I. To CONFINE ins SERVICE TO A SINGLE TERM. " II. To DISCLAIM ALL RIGHT OF CONTROL OVER THE PUBLIC TREASURE, witli the exceptioTi of such part of it as may be appropriated by law to carry on the public services, and that to be applied precisely as the law may direct, and draicn from the treasury agreeably to the long- established forms of that department " III. That he should never attempt to INFLUENCE THE ELECTIONS, either by the people or the state legislatures, nor suffer the federal officers under his control to take any other part in them than by giving their own votes when they possess the right of voting, " IV. Tlmt in the exercise of the veto power. WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 205 he should limit his rejection to: \st. Such as are in his opinion unconstitutional. 2d. Such as tend to encroach on the rights of the states or individuals. Sd. Such as, involving deep interests, may in his opinion require more ma- ture deliberation or reference to the will of the peo2)le to he ascertained at the succeeding elec- tions. " V. That he should never suffer the influ- ence of his name to he used for purposes of a purely party character. " VI. That in removal from office of those who hold their appointments during the plea- sure of the executive, the cause of such removal should he stated if requested, to the senate, at the time the nomination of a successor is made. " And last, but not least in importance, " VII. That he should not siffer the execu- tive department of the government to hecome the source of legislation ; hut leave the whole business of rnaking laws for the Union to the department to which the constitution has exclu- sively assigned it, until they have assumed that perfected shape, where and when alone the opinions of the executive may be heard. " A community of power in the preparation of the laws between the legislature and the 18 206 LIFE OF Executive Departments, must necessarily lead to dangerous combinations, greatly to the ad- vantage of a President desirous of extending his power. Such a construction of the con- stitution could never have been contemplated by those who framed it, as they well knew that those who propose the bills will always take care of themselves, or the interests of their constituents ; and hence the provision in the constitution, borrowed from that of Eng- land, restricting the originating of revenue bills to the immediate representatives of the people. So far from agreeing in opinion with the distinguished character who lately retired from the presidency, that Congress should have applied to him for a project of a banking system, I think that such an application would have manifested not only great subserviency upon the part of that body, but an unpardon- able ignorance of the chief danger to be ap- prehended from such an institution. That dan- ger unquestionably consists in a union of inter- ests between the executive and the bank. Would an ambitious incumbent of the execu- tive chair neglect so favourable an opportu- nity as the preparing of the law would give him, to insert in it provisions to secure his in- WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 207 fluence over it ? In the authority given to the President by the constitution, " to recommend to Congress such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient," it was certainly ne- ver intended that the measures he recommend- ed should be presented in a shape suited for the immediate decision of the legislature. The sages who made the constitution too well knew the advantages which the crown of England derives from the exercise of this power by its ministers, to have intended it to be used by our Chief Magistrate, or the heads of depart- ments under his control. The boasted princi- ples of the English constitution, that the con- sent of the democratic branch is not only ne- cessary to receive money from the people, but that it is its inviolable prerogative also to ori- ginate all the bills for that purpose, is true in theory, but rendered utterly false and nugato- ry in effect, by the participation of the minis- ters of the crown in the details of legislation. Indeed the influence they derive from sitting as members of the House of Commons, and from wielding the immense patronage of the crown (constitutional or usurped) gives them a power over that body, that renders plausible, at least, the flattery, or as it is more probable, 208 LIFE OF the intended sarcasm of Sir Walter Raleigh, in an address to James L, that the demand of the sovereign upon the Commons for pecuni- ary aid, was required only " that the tax might seem to come from themselves." ******" The question may, perhaps, be asked of me, what security I have in my power to offer, if the majority of the Ameri- can people should select me for their Chief Magistrate, that I would adopt the principles which I have herein laid down, as those upon which my administration would be conduct- ed. I could only answer by referring to my conduct, and the disposition manifested in the discharge of the duties of several important offices which have heretofore been conferred upon me. If the power placed in my hands has, even on a single occasion, been used for any purpose other than that for which it was given, or retained longer than was necessary to accomplish the objects designated by those from whom the trusts were received, I will acknowledge that either will constitute a suf- ficient reason for discrediting any promise I may make, under the circumstances in which I am now placed. I am, dear sir, truly yours, " W. H. HARRISON. " To the Hon. Harmar Denny.'* WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 209 Our confined limits restrain us from makinsr more extensive extracts from this admirable letter — the noble and truly republican senti- ments of which, together with its plain yet manly and vigorous language, forcibly remind us of the invaluable writin2;s of our revered Washington, The friends of General Harrison found no especial claim on his military services. His own sentiments on this subject we have al- ready quoted ; and his friends would scorn, as much as he would, any attempt to dazzle a single one of his fellow-citizens by the glory of his military renown, brilliant though it be. They would point rather to his numerous civil services, in the forty years he has devoted to his country ; to the various and important offices he has so ably filled — in the territorial governments, in the legislature of his own state, and in the house of representatives and senate of the United States ; and to the high order of abilities displayed in his speeches in congress, in his public acts, and in his volu- minous public correspondence. And we here take occasion to say, that all his letters and public papers have been exclusively written by himself; and that so far from his having 18* 210 LIFE OF called in the mental aid of another, to prepare his messages and dispatches, as some of our distinguished men have condescended to do, he has never even employed an amanuensis, to perform the manual labour of his corre- spondence. His ruling principles through life, appear to have been, an ardent love for his country, and an earnest desire to serve her best interests; with a devotion to the pure republican maxims of the revolution, alv^rays unwavering and consistent ; unlike the schem- ing poHticians of a more modern school, whose own interest is the polar star that guides them, whatever may betide their country. The services of General Harrison have always been rendered to his country and not to any pohtical faction : nor have his civil or military promotions ever been obtained by party arrangements or underhand manoeuvres; but, on the contrary, they were given him at the earnest wish and by the spontaneous con- fidence of his fellow-citizens. Neither has his present nomination for the presidency been made by a discontented faction or political party, but by the voluntary choice of a great majority of the people uttered by their chosen WILLIAM HENRY HARRISOxN. 211 delegates. And happily, the more his claims to the high office for which he has been nomi- nated are canvassed, the more acceptable will he become. A veteran soldier who has won for his country every battle he has fought, an experienced statesman whose integrity has been thoroughly tried and proved, a practical republican of the good old school, and an honest man — whose attachment to the true interests of the people is unquestionable, and who will rally about him the great mass of honest and intelligent citizens, and with their aid and support, will rescue the constitution, of late so trampled upon by party violence and executive usurpation. With tried patriotism, with abilities of the highest order, with integrity pure as the un- sullied snow, and with the truest republican principles, William Henry Harrison is now before his fellow-citizens, as a candidate for the highest office in their gift. In the long course of his public life, he has always openly avowed and proved himself a staunch advo- cate of popular rights, and is therefore truly THE CANDIDATE OF THE PEOPLE, He comes before them, not with a crowd of 212 LIFE OF WILLIAM HENRY HARRISOIN. pampered and still-grasping officials to intrigue and bribe for him, but with the noble frank- ness of an honourable and high-minded man, willing and desirous to be judged impartially by his° fellow-citizens, and ready to abide by their honest decision. THE END. » V 88 € ..•* -i'V ^' • « *'_•.*• O * ^^^m^^ii %.** :MS:^ -^Z" Z^iif., ^- .-^^^:i;k.% ^^ » wo 17 ^-v • *^^<^' ♦