I ■//Is? F 466 .n59 Copy 1 [-^^J MEMORIAL FROM THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE MISSOrni TERRITORY, ON THE SUBJECT OF THE DEFENXELESS SITUATION" OF SAID TERRITORY: AND PRAYING THE Ali) OF CONGRESS IN THE DEFENCE THEREOF, &c. JANUARY 31, 1815. Read, and ordered to lie on the table. WASHINGTON ; /■. AND G. WAY, PRINTER' iB^5. RESOLUTIONS. Resolved, unanimously, by the legislative council and house of representatives, That it is their duty to make a faitliful statement of what, in their opinion, is their present situation, and that a memorial to that ef- fect be forwarded without delay to the congress of the United States, praying for a sufficient number of troops, not only to repel aggression but also to carry on active warl^ire in the heart of tlie enemy's country. Resolved also, unanimously. That for the above purposes the following memorial be adopted, and that the governor of this territory be requested to forward the same to our delegate in congress who is requested to lay the same before the congress of the United Slates ; and also, to use his best endeavours to haver *he same carried into eftect. [56] MEMORIAL. To the senate and house of rppresentatives of the United States of America in congress assembled: The unanimons memorial of the lec^islative council and liouse of representatives of the teriitory of Missouri, RESPECTFULLY REPRESENTS .' That taking into view the situation of this coun- try, which we confidently believe to h& particularly critical and dangerous at this time, and that it will be still more so the ensuing season, your niemorialists believe that they would not do justice either to them- selves or their country, although assembled at this time for the particular purpose of legislation, were they to delay the present opportunity of infortfiing the general government of their situation, and most ear- nestly solicitiiig tlielr early attention thereto. Notwithstanding their particularly exprosed and frontier situation, of course to be especially affected by reason of a declaration of war against Great Britain, your memorialists heg leave to assure the general go- vernment that they are warm supporters of that mea- sure which they believe ought not and could not, con sistent witli the honor and dignity of the United states. have been longer delayed; they believe it to be the only certain meaiis of procuring a sure and permanent peace with the numerous tribes of Indians between whom and the United States they were the only bar- rier. Your memorialists were filled with joy when they learned that tlte government m as prepas jng a?]d fitting out an expedition, to be commanded by the hero of 8n n.diisky. against Miciiiliffiackinak, the grand [55] Q depot of Erltish goods aiul the theatr*' of their influ- ence w'hIi those tribes ^vhom tliey en. :.ge to harass and disturb our frontier; but wiiiist \f?<.r memorial- ists were imhilging the fondest hopes for the success of this important measure, they were suddenly disap- pointed by learning; of the failure of the expodition^ The ill success of this measure was followed b;)f the taking of Prairie l)u Chien by the enemy, a position wliich we believe his excellency the governor of tiiis territory liad taken in consequence of the movement against Mackinak, hoping thereby to be enabled to bring home to the good people of this territory more, speedily and cei'tainly, the iiappy effects that could not fail to Jiave been the result of a successful attempt on Mackinak. About this time also, the reinforce- ments sent up the Mississippi, by brigadier gen. How- ard, for the relief of Prairie 13u Chsen, were attack- ed by the enemy, almost two hundred miles nearer as than that post, and compelled to return with great loss: in the train of this list of evils, followed the loss of general Hov/ard himself, and the ultimate aban- donment of fort Johnson, a post taken by him nearly opposite the mouth of the river l)c Moine to prevent any rapid and grand descent of the enemy by water. It is f(uthcrmore stated, and your memorialists believe w^ith truth, tliat fort Clarke, at Peoria, is in such a situation at this time as must insure a surrender to the enemy, or an abandonnuniof tlie post, if, indeed, (his last step be practicai)le. With tiiis succession of past events, unfortunate in their tendency towards these frontiers, your memorialists are filled with regret when they reflect Ihat tliey see no prospect in the fu- ture more pleasing, unless from tlie timely and paren- tal interference of the general government. It will, we trust, be needless fnr us to iiilorm your honorafile body, that these events have rai;feed a union of nearly all, if not the whole, of the tribes of savages residing on the water? of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers J^-gainst us, and tiia^ innu int>)rma'(ion v.c believe en' 6 [5(3 j tirely wortky of credU, they have been amply furnish- ed by tiie British with arms and ammunition. It now only remains for the enemy to succeed in their at- tempts to guin over the iViissouri Indians to their w ishes to have formed against us a coalition so for- mitlable as to defy resistance by any force we caa draw into the field. Your memorialists are informed from authority whicli cannot be (h)ubted, that a junction of the Mis- sissippi and Missouri Indians would enable the ene- my to ln-ing into the field against us a force of at least six thousand savages. To oppose this formidable ar- my, it appears, by the returns from the inspector and adjiitMut general's ofilce, we have only an eftective force of about three thousand four hundred militia; one third of the whole numher of which it also ap- pears from snid documents, have actually performed active service during the present scfison ; and this force, inconsiderable as it is, and without arms, is scat- tered over a distance of country five or six hundred miles in extent. Thus situated, vour memorialists bcji' leave, most respectfully, to ask, what resistance tliey could be expected to oppose to any sudden descent or invasion by the enemy, if made in force? The tmswer is obvious : before the militia could be collected from such a distance, supposing no obstruction whatever to be opposed in asseRil)ling them, tlie enemy would have wreaked his vengeance on our defenceless set- tlements asid fellow-citizens, destroyed such portions of their property as they did not risk to bear oif, and be out of the reach of retribution if otherwise practi- cable. From the above statement of facts, it aj)pears that the people <»f this territory have not been back- ward in turning out for tlie defence of their country, and even for ti»e purpose of carrying the war into that of the enen-iy's : but sliould the British succeed in arraying against us tise friendly tribes on the Mis- souri, as above apprehended, or should t-jey bring in- to the iield against us even the half of those Indians [50] 7 who arc at present hostile to us, residing on the Illi- nois and Mississippi rivers and their \\;iters. your me- morialists are convinced, that the wiiole of our settle- ments north of the 3Iissouri, must i^ive way, and that river form the Sjoundary between us and tiie Indian country. Your memorialists beg leave to express their pro- found regret, that nearly the whole of what few re- gular troops were in this country have been ordered away. They hope and believe that as much may be calculated on from the militia of tlsis territory, as that from any other section of tlie United States, situated as they are. Indeed, they might perhaps venture to express their belief, that no part of the Unitetl Stntes tir their territories, have had the same number of its citizens for the same length and number of times, on active and frequently distant service as this territory : but your memorialists are persuaded that this cannot long continue to be the case. The spirit of the mili- tia will become harassed and broken by too frequent calls on their patriotism, and ultimately, but few we fear, will be found willing to shoulder a musket iij defence of a country of such an immense value to the United States, but which they will unquestionably see abandoned if attacked by all the force the enemy can easily bring against it, or taken from them by con- quest, than the last of which your memorialists could not conceive of a greater political misfortune that could befall them. Your memorialists do, therefore, most earnestly and respectfully solicit the attention of the general go- vernment to our situation, and that an adequate force of regular troops, if to be had, and if not. an equiva- lent in militia of the neighboring states and territories be ordered for our protection, to aiVord us an opportu- nity of shewing to the w orld our zeal and attachment to tliH government of the United States, and the folly of an attempt to recolonizc this country i)y any of the powers of Europe. We earnestly solicit Ihe '^enera'i LS,?"^ ^^ CONGRESS ^ P^] 014 572 778 '9 government iioit lo suifer us to fall iiiio the Isaiuls erf our eaemies, but to send us such a force as will not only enable us to protect and cherish our young and flourishinj;; settlement, but render us the most eiiectual means of defence to carry tlie war into the enemy's ®\vn country. We do lielieve, Ihat an active cam- paiii;n might be carried on in their country w ith the double effector disiressini; and destroying theei. and protecting our settlements at the same time. We al- so pray, that Congress would cause to be forw'arded «rms salfscient for the use of our militia. JriMEB CALBWELL, Speaker of the House of Representatives, lYILLIAM NEELY, President of the Legislative Co7incii. St, Louis, December 36, iSi^i, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS I II;':! \\ '' iiiiii II urn 014 572 778 9