Class Book_ COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT WILLIAM M. COCKRUM PIONEER History of Indiana Including Stories^ Incidents and Customs of the Early Settlers . By COL. WILLIAM M. COCKRUM Oakland City, Indiana PRESS OF OAKLAND CITY JOURNAL 1907 UB8ARY ef CONGRESS TwoCvptw Rtcwvec DEC 23 1907 Copyrif nt tiMry OLASS 4 XXC. No, COPY B. Entered according to an Act of Congreu in the year 1907 By William M, Cockrom in the office of the Librarian of Congress at Wash- ington, D. C. All rights reserved. ro MT JVIFE, Who for fifty years has been my faithful partner and true help- matCy this book is affectionately dedicated by THE A UTHOR. PREFACE. In fhis volume man}- of the earl}- happening's that oc- •curred during the settling- of Indiana are given for the first time and if this opportunit}' were not improved, a larg-e amount of interesting histor)' of our state would be lost. The writer claims no special credit for securing- this his- tor}' as it has been a pleasing task, self assigned. If the reader shall gain as much satisfaction from reading this vol- ume as the author has from gathering the data from which to compile it, he will be ampl)- repaid for the few hours he is so engaged. It is ver}' gratifying to be able to go back to the settling •of Indiana and tell about the brave men and women who first invaded its wildness and from whom sprang the hard}- and superior race of people in all stations of life that now live within its confines. For fift}' years the data for this volume has been collect- ing: From personal acquaintance with the pioneers, from a history of incidents transmitted from parents to children and from tradition that is accepted as reliable. From the above three sources it is believed that the truest history of the people of that early date, their manners and customs, the dangers they encountered from the Indians, the hunting for game and the many terrible encounters with sav- age beasts, has been secured. In submitting this work to the public the author wishes here to acknowledge his indebtedness to those who aided him in his researches and made the existence of this volume pos- sible. These favors have come from all parts of thecountr} — from historical societies, public libraries and men in official positions. The names of those giving the most valued assist- ance is hexeb}' given. 8 PIONEER HISTORY OP INDIANA. The City Library of Quebec and the librarian of Public Library of Montreal, Canada. The State Library of Indianapolis and the assistant li- brarian, Miss Jennie M. Elrod. The Hon. Henry S. Lane, when U. S. Senator from In- diana, for favors shown me in the office of Public Documents in Washington. The Hon. Oliver P. Morton for his aid in securing a per- mit to examine official papers in the War Department. The Hon. Daniel S. Lamont, Ex-Secretary of War, for favors shown me in the War Department. Gen. Lew Wallace for valuable suggestions. Gen. Russel A. Alger, Ex-Secretary of War, for a copy of official documents. Hon. Benjamin Harrison, Ex-President of the United States, for the use of his notes on the unpublished history of Gen. William Henry Harrison. Gen. John I. Nealy for manuscript and data. Joseph P. McClure for incidents of pioneer history. David Johnston for the data for many hunting and excit- ing experiences in the early days of Indiana. Woolsey Pride, Jr., for the history of his father's settling at White Oak Springs, near Petersburg, Indiana. Captain Graham, of near Corydon, Indiana, for the data for many pioneer incidents. Hon. Conrad Baker, Ex-Governor of Indiana, for data. Gen. Joseph Lane, Ex-Governor of Oregon, for interest- ing letters. Captain A. Miler for many interesting incidents. Col. James G. Jones and Hon. A. L. Robinson, of Evans- ville, Indiana, for letters corroborating underground railroad incidents. John T. Hanover, of "Freedmans Bureau," for valuable papers in making underground railroad chapter. Dr. John W. Posey for data on the kidnapping of free negroes. Rev. D. B. Montgomery for especial favors in data and manuscripts of the pioneer days of Indiana. PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 9 Charles C. Waters for manuscript and data. Jacob W. Hargrove for manuscript. Delome's unpublished manuscript of his twenty-seven years among various Indian tribes in what is now the State of Indiana. John B. Dillon's "History of Indiana." John P. Dunn Jr.'s, "History of Indiana." President Theodore Roosevelt's "Winning of the West." Goodrich's "History of Indiana." Mrs. Ella C. Wheatley for valuable assistance in prepar- ing this work. William Mc Adams' "Record of Ancient Races. Dr. J. R. Adams, of Petersburg, Indiana, for valuable data. Hon. Oliver H. Smith for valuable assistance. Beard's "Battle of Tippecanoe." Prof. W. D. Pence, Purdue University. Dr. George C. Mason for data. E. C. Farmer for data. Rev. W. P. Dearing for assistance. Crawfordsville, Indiana, April 12, 1902. Col. W. M. Cockrum, Oakland Cit}', Indiana. My dear Sir and Companion: Your letter of the 8th inst. is received. There is no rule in literar)' work that two want to follow in the same way. Writing on any subject, they might differ in their way of expression; but there is one rule, as you sug- gest, that is safe for all to follow — have your data well pre- pared and follow closely the subject. I am pleased to learn that you have been securing data for more than fifty years, and intend writing a Pioneer His- tory of Southern Indiana, in which you will give the old heroes that drove the Indians away and blazed the pathway for our greatness, a deserving tribute for their noble work. Why not extend your boundary and include the State for 3'our field of labor? Your lament that the opportunity for a finished education in your day was so limited that you doubt your ability to give the smooth and pleasing touch to your writing that is needed in a book to be read by the cultured people of this date, is not well taken. Let me suggest that your amanuensis may have all that is required, but good horse sense is not in the market. Your friend, Lew Wallace. TABLE OF CONTENTS. General Lew Wallace's Letter Page 10 CHAPTER L French Colonization of Indiana. Explorations. Settlements. Trading Stations. Forts. Relations with Indians. Post Vincennes. Treatment of English Explorers. Pontiac Pages 16-23 CHAPTER II. Geokge Rogers Clakk and the English. Treatment of Inhabitants of the Northwest b)- the English and Their Indian Allies. Clark's Resolve to Reduce the Forts. His Alliance With the French Inhabitants. Reduction of Fort Kaskaskia. Reduction of Post Vin- cennes. Vincennes Recaptured b)- Lieutenant Governor Hamilton. Attempt of Hamilton to Dislodge Clark and Drive Him From the Territory. Capture of Francis Vigo. Clark's March from Kaskaskia to Vincennes. Capture of Vincennes. Regaining the Confidence of the Indians, Later Achievements and Failures of Clark. Pages 24-()8 CHAPTER III. The Territory Captured by General Clark from 1779 TO THE Organization of the Northwest Territory. Qeneral Todd's Proclamation. The Court of Vincennes. Virginia Cedes Northwest Possessions to the United States. Town of Clarksville Laid Off. Deed of Cession. Ordinance of 1787 Pages ()')-75 CHAPTER IV. The Northwest Territory Organized. Laws Governing It. 12 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. Governor St. Clair and the Indians. Militia Established and Civil and Militar}' Officers Appointed. Laws Adopt- ed at Vincennes. Defeat of St. Clair's Army by the Indians. General Wayne's Victory Near the Maumee. First Territorial Legislature Pages 76-104 CHAPTER V. Prisoners Recaptured from the Indians. Terrible Fighting Around the Place Where Owensville, Indiana, Now Stands Pages 105-129 CHAPTER VI. Organization of Indiana Territory. William Henry Har- rison, Governor. General Gibson, Secretary. Territor- ial Judges Appointed. Slavery Question. Laws of In- denture. Specimens of Indenture Papers. .Pages 130-148 CHAPTER VII. Settlement of Southern Indiana. The Cruelty of the French Pages 149-152 CHAPTER VIII. The Pioneer. Character. Hardships. Routes Followed^ Settlements. Food. Education. Customs. Thrilling and Amusing Incidents. Weddings. Work. Dress. Crude Manufactures Pages 153-196 CHAPTER IX. Land Claims and Territorial Affairs. Indian Depredations. Letters of Instruction and Orders to Captain William Hargrove. Burning of an Indian Town Near Owens- ville. Division of Indiana Territory. Elections. Land Offices Pages 197-236 CHAPTER X. The Battle of Tippecanoe. Importance of the Victory^ Cause of Battle. The Principal Contestants. Negotia- tions for Peace. Collecting Army at Vincennes. Move- ment of Army From Vincennes. Fort Harrison Estab- lished. Advance on Prophet's Town. Encampment. The Battle. Gk)vernor Harrison's Report of the Battle^ PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 13 Incidents of the Battle. Resolutions Adopted by Terri- torial Legislature. Roll of the Army that Fought at Tippecanoe Pages 237-308 CHAPTER XI. Indiana's Tribute to Kentucky Pages 309-310 CHAPTER XII, Further History of Tecumseh and the Prophet . . Pages 311-317 CHAPTER XIII. Pioneer Industries. Crude Farming Implements. Cooking. Milling. Flax In- dustry. Loom. Whipsaw, Shoe Making. Rope Walk. Bee Hunting. Witchcraft Pages 318-341 CHAPTER XIV. Amusements and Sports of the Early Pioneers. .Pages 343-344 CHAPTER XV. Indiana During the War of 1812. Pigeon Roost Massacre. Attack on Fort Harrison. General Disturbance Among the Indians. General Hopkins Re- port to the Governor. Expeditions Against the Indians. Delaware Indians Removed to Ohio. General Gibson's Message to House of Representatives in 1813. Territor- ial Government Moved From Vincennes to Corydon. Miss McMurtne's Statement. Treaty of Friendship and Alliance With the Indians. General John Gibson. Gov- ernor Thomas Posey. Logan, the Indian Chief. Terri- tory Laid Off Into Five Districts. Judicial System Im- proved. Charters Granted to Banks. Rappites at Har- mony. New Harmony Sold to Robert Owens Pages 345-387 CHAPTER XVI. Indiana Becomes a State Constitution Adopted. Officers Selected. Governor Jennings' First Message. Boundary and Area of State. Survey. Taxes. Internal Improvements. Purchase of Indian 14 PIONKER HISTORY OF INDIANA. Claims. Counties Organized. Ague and other Illness. Failure of State Banks. William Hendrick elected Gov- —- ernor. Site of Indianapolis chosen for Capital. Land Sharks. Indianians called "Hoosiers". Counties Organ- ized. White men executed for Murder of Indians. Let- ter from Oliver H. Smith. Improvements recommended b}^ Governors Hendricks and Ray Pages 388-426. CHAPTER XVII. i Animals of Early Indiana. Game Animals. Game Birds. Ferocious Animals. Fur- Beaiing Animals. Birds of Pre}' Pages 427-457. CHAPTER XVIII. Schools of Early Indiana. Houses. Books. Danger from Wild Animals. Opposition to Free Schools Pages 458-468. CHAPTER XIX. The Noble Act of returning soldiers of the Battle of Tippe- canoe. Aaron Burr's Conspiracy and the misfortunes attending it. Difficulty of procuring salt and desperate battle with two Bears. Incidents of Burr's Conspiracy. Governor Jennings' Temperance Lecture. Battle be- tween two bears and two panthers. Panthers killing In- dians. A Hermit. Panthers kill a man and bo}'. Early days near Petersburg, Indiana. Panthers killing one and desperately wounding another man of a surveying parly. Wild Hogs. Shooting matches. Earl}^ Days in Dubois Count}', Indiana. ' Killing of eight Indians. Hunting. Early days near Sprinklesburg, now New- burg, Warrick County. I.idiana. A young woman killed by panthers. Hunting Wolves. Hunting Deer. An amusing incident of an Irishman and the hornet's nest Pages 469-507. CHAPTER XX. Flat Boating Pages 508-510. CHAPTER XXL General Joseph Lane. A Short Biography. Letters PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 15 Patres 511-516. CHAPTER XXII. The State Bank and Other Interesting Matter. Counties Organized. Michigan's Attempted Theft. Speech of Hon. Isaac Montgomery. Land Sharks. Land Specu- lators. Brave Women Pages 517-532 CHAPTER XXIII. Internal Improvements. Canals. Railroads. State Debt. Turnpike Roads. Wabash Rapids. Pottowattamie and Miami Indians Removed From the State Pages 533-542 CHAPTER XXIV. Penal, Benevolent and Educational Institutions. State Prison. Asylum for Deaf and Dumb. Asylum for Blind. Hospital for the Insane. State Universities. State Library Pages 543-548 CHAPTER XXV. The Mexican War. Indiana in the Mexican War Pages 549-554 • CHAPTER XXVI. Indian Barbarity and the Prodigal's Return. This chapter is given to show one of many spies that the Anti-Slavery people had on all strangers during the fifties Pages 555-558 CHAPTER XXVII. The Pvxperience of Two Young Boys With Two Bear Cubs. The Amusing Story of How Hogs Were Induced to Re- turn to Their Own Range Pages 559-561 CHAPTER XXVIII. Kidnapping Free Negroes. Kidnapping of Reube at Prince- ton. Liberating two negroes near Princeton, Indiana. Kidnapping two free negroes three miles west of Prince- ton. Attempt to kidnap a Barber at Petersburg, In- 16 PIONEER HISTOSY OF INDIANA. diana. Several attempts to kidnap negroes. Dr. John W. Posey and Rev. Eldridge Hopkins liberating: two kid- naped negroes. A slave hunt at Kirk's Mills Bridge in Gibson County. An attempt to catch runaway negroes ending in a desperate battle with wild hogs. Jerry Sul- livan Raid at Dongola Bridge. Kidnapping the Gothard Boys. Rev. Hiram Hunter relieving kidnaped negroes Pages 562-597. CHAPTER XXIX. Underground Railroad. Fug-itive Slave Law. Anti-Slavery Leag-ue. Routes of Fu- gitive Slaves. Interesting Letters. Rev. T. B. McCor- mick Pages 608-619 CHAPTER XXX. Indian Religion Pages 620-622. CHAPTER XXXI. The Mound Builders. Age of Mounds. Workmanship of Builders. The Tradition of the Piassa. Remains. Difference between Mound Builders and Indians Pages 623-632. CHAPTER I FRENCH COLONIZATION IN INDIANA. Explorations — Settlements — Trading Stations — Forts — Relations With Indians — Post Vincennes — Treat- ment of'sEnglish Explorers — Pontiac. The French, who first settled Canada and founded Que- bec in 1608, were a ver}- restless, energetic people. The}' were rovers and soon making- friends with the Indians, made long journeys with them to the south and west. How far the}' went on these excursions is not known, but they contin- ually advanced their settlement in these directions. During the fifty years following the founding of Quebec, they had settled a large section of the country bordering on the Great Lakes. Whether any of these rovers, during their many expeditions, up to 1650, paddled their canoes along the rivers of Indiana is unknown. Who was the first man to ex- plore the wildness of our State or when that date was, are unsolved questions that will remain hidden in the archives of the Great Builder of Worlds. They are (juestions of no real merit and only interest those who are sticklers for exactness in regard to the minute things which happened more than two and a half centuries ago in the wilds of North America. The data that is known from accepted tradition and written history, carries us back far enough into the dark ages of this country to enable us to give such credit due to those who did explore the rivers, lakes and wooded hills of Indiana as will be of interest to those who are searching for the early history of our State. 18 PIONEER HISTORY OF [INDIANA. The probabilities are that -at this early date, all the ter- ritory of Indiana was owned and controlled by the Miama Confederation of Indians, which comprised four tribes: The Twig-htwees, which was the Miami proper, the Weas or Oniatenons, the Shockeys and Pinkashaws, These Indians were of the Algonquin nation. At the junction of the St. Mary and St. Joseph rivers, where the Maumee river is formed and where the city of Ft. Wayne, Indiana, now stands, these Indians had their ancient capital, known in In- dian lang-uagfe as Kekiong-a, and as earlj- as 1676, the white people (French) had a fort near that place. From that sta- tion the French fur hunters passed up and down the Wabash, river and into the Louisiana possessions of France, securing- loads of furs. Returning up the Wabash they carried their bundles across the portage, thence down the Maumee to Lake Erie and to their trading stations in Canada where they were sold for such articles as the Indians and French hunters need- ed. In these excursions up and down the Wabash it is reas- onable to conclude that there were trading stations at diifer- ent points along their route where the fur was collected by traders. Vincennes, no doubt, was a trading station several years before the commencement of the eighteenth century. The traders coming on the Wabash connected with those coming on what was afterward known as the Old Vincennes and Clarksville trace. This crossed White river about fifteen miles southeast of Vincennes and crossed the Wabash river at Vincennes, then to Kaskaskia on the Mississippi river.^ One branch of this old traveled way ran from a point a little west of the place where it crossed the Little Wabash river south to the saline section of southern Illinois. No doubt this old road had been a main traveled way from east to west b)^ the Indians for ages before any white man ever saw- America. Along the route where it passed over Orange and Floyd Counties, ledges of rock that it crossed showed evi- dence of much wear, when first traveled over by the Whites. This could not have been possible without having been long used by the Indians, as they wore skin coverings on their feet. PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 19 That Robert De LaSalle went uj) and down the Wabash and other Indiana rivers with a few white companions and Indian guides several years before the commencement of the eijfhteenth century, is an established fact. He was at Kekionjifa, the capital of the Miamas, about 1680 and no doubt was about the same time at the beautiful site where Vincennes now stands. That there was a rendezvous where these two ciiies stand for the collecting- of furs, as well as at Ouitanon during- La Salle's explorations, is generally conced- ed bv all who have searched for this early information. Dur- ing the twenty years that La Salle was engaged in his ex- plorations, from 1667 to 1687, he was very active in exploring all the regions where there were fur bearing animals. In lf>98 LaiMotte Cadillac, of New France, who was a far-seeing man and worked for his country's interests, re- turned to France. He went to see Count Pontchartrain and placed before him a map that he had made from notes and drawings made by LaSalle before he was assasinated, ex- plaining to the Count the new route that this map described. This route connecting New France and Louisiana by a reli- able waterwa}', extended from the Lakes up the Maumee . to the capital of the Miamis, now Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and thence by an easy portage to the headwaters of the Wabash, thence down that river, through the heart of a most valuable territory. Cadillac recommended to the Count that ii was best to locate a chain of forts along that route for defense if needed against any Indians that were or might become hos- a.e and against any expedition that the english might send oul from their North American possessions east of the Alle- ghany Mountains. He was so convincing in his presentation of the subject, that Count Pontchartrain%fell in with his views, granted his re(|uest and commissioned him to carry out the enterprise. The next year Detroit was selected as the place most suitable for a depot of military stores and a gen- eral trading post between the French and Indians on the southern borders of the Great Lakes. The next site selected was at the l;ead of the Maumee river, called Fort Miami; then canne one near th-' Wabash on the Wea i)rairie a few 20 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. miles below where the cit}" of Lafa3^ette now stands, called Ouiatenon. The next trading- post was at the point where the cit}" of Vincennes now stands, afterwards called Post Vincennes. These forts were all completed b\' the year 1705. It has alwa3's been contended that the French Jesuits had mission stations at each of these places years before the}' be- came military posts. The garrisons which were located at each of these stations consisted of a few men, only suflicient in their strong log forts to insure a safe retreat for the fur traders and their families. In a few 3'ears a number of young French hunters gath- ered around these stations and it became common for them to marr_v the 3'oung Indian women, and in a comparativel}' short time there was a large number of half breeds in all the settled sections where the French lived. These hunters adopted the Indian customs and this intermarr3'ing of the two races was the real reason for the ver3- close alliance that existed be- tween the French and the Indians — "Blood is thicker than water." The two races of people became so closel3' akin that their interest became the same. The men put in most of their time during the hunting season in the forests hunting for game, or along the streams trapping for fur. These two occupations comprised all there was to be done. Each famil3' would work together and have a small field of corn. The women would plant and tend it. They cured and dried the meat that was killed b3' the hunters and prepared it for fu- ture use. The indolent habits of these Indians and mongrel French, around their homes were indulged in b3' all. When they sold their furs thev would invest the g-reater portion of it in villainous whiskev, that would make those drinking it craz3' drunk. During the orgies engaged in b3' these savage woodsmen, there would be man3' maimed and others dead be- fore the protracted "spree" was over. The traders who sold this injurious stuff, if the3' ever were honest, lost all thought of such an inconvenience when trading with the Indians and cheated them in every way that was possible. The Catholic missionaries who helped explore the North- west territory and labored to christianize the Indians, were PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 21 earnest, devoted men who did all they could to better the condition of the Indians; but the evil effects of the poisonous li(luor sold them by the unscrupulous traders buying- their furs, neutralized all the ^ood done by the missionaries and kept these poor, unfortunate people in a degraded condition. The post where Vincennes now is was included in the district of Illinois, in the colony of Louisiana. Fort Chartres was the seat of government of the district, and New Orleans was the seat of government of the province. The post where Vincennes is located had different officials at an earl}' date who acted as commanders of the garrison. Among that num- ber was Francis Morgan De Vincennes, for whom the city of Vincennes was named. He remained its commander vmtil sometime in 173f>, when he was killed in battle with the Chickasaw Indians, For a long period before his death he was in command of all the French posts located in the part of Louisiana province that is now Indiana. In 173b, after the death of Vincennes, St. Ange was placed in command of the district of Illinois with his head- quarters at post Vincennes. This command was held by him until two 3'ears after the French had ceded their New France and a part of their Louisiana possession to England in 17()3. During the long period that France held control of the Ter- ritory that is now Indiana, the only improvement made by them was the building of a few block-houses and a few crude buildings around these stations. They did not attempt to clear up the country, open any highways or to make any per- manent improvements. Their business was hunting and trapping, and so the}- did not want the countr}- cleared as it would injure their occupation. During the one hundred and forty-three years between the time the English planted their colony at Jamestown, Vir- ginia, in 1607 until they attempted a plant a colony on the west side of the Alleghany mountains, in 1750, they developed into thirteen colonies and more than one million people living in the country along the Atlantic from the east side of Flor- ida to one hundred miles east of Boston, Massachusetts. During that long period of nearly one hundred and fifty 22 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 3'ears, France and Eng-land were bus}' acquiring- territor}" and planting- colonies in their locations in North America. They each established missionary- stations to christianize the Ind- ians. There was great rivalry between catholic France and protestant England in their home countries. This feeling- was carried to the new world by the missionaries and used to embitter the feelings of the Indians in their respective col- onies against the other nations. Rev. Cotton Mather saj^s, in one of his works published the last of the seventeenth cen- tuTy, that a noted Indian chief informed a protestant minis- ter of Boston, that the French, when instructing- the Indians of his nation about the christian religion, told them that Jesus Christ was a Frenchman and that the English mur- dered him and that he arose from the dead, ascending up to heaven and all who would come into favor with Christ must help them in their war against the English. In 1752 M. Duquesne, governor of New France, ordered Georg-e Washington, who, with others, was attempting- to surve}- some lands near where the cit}' of Pittsburg, Penns3'l- vania, now stands to desist and leave the countr}-. Duquesne stated that the French government claimed all the territory bordering on the Ohio river and its many tributaries; basing- that claim on the discoveries made b}- LaSalle, in the latter part of the seventeenth centur}-. This was a beginning of the long and blood}- war between England's American col- oniies and the French inhabitants of New France. In many battles between the French and English people from 1752 to 1763, for the supremacy in America, the French inhabitants w^ho occupied the different stations in what is now Indiana, knew but little about the war and there were many isolated stations in that territory whose people did not know until several years afterwards that France had ceded her North American possessions to England. After England came into possession of New France, the posts at Quebec, Montreal, Detroil and other stations in that territory established strong garrisons and adopted concilia- tory measures to win the Indians from their allegiance to France. This was hard to do. Pontiac, who would not give PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA.. 23 up the hope that his {jfreat father, the kinjif of France, would again come into power, foujjfht man}' determined battles ag-ainst the English and would not be consoled. Finally he went to St. Louis to see his old friend, St. Ange, who coun- seled him to submit and give to England the same loN'ality that he had to France, telling him that France had not sold his land nor would the English take it away from him. This, in a measure, satisfied the great Pontiac and he went back home, coming down the Mississippi, up the Ohio and the Wabash. Telling his people that there would be no more war, he discarded his rank and went into private life as a hunter. A tradition that has come all the way down from genera- tion to generation was often told by the Indians, as follows: T^he great chief, Pontiac, in destroying bands of Indians op- posing his confederation, captured mostly women and child- ren who were sold by his agents to the resident French at the different posts, receiving in exchange guns, powder, lead, flints, tomahawks and blankets. He was killed b}' an assasin in the woods where East St. Louis now stands, because sev- eral years before, one of his bands of warriors had captured the women and children of a hunting party of Illinois Indians while they were drying meats and fish on the shores of lake Michigan and Pontiac ordered them all sold into slavery ex- cept a beautiful woman who was the wife of the chief of the hunting party, whom he took for his wife. While making a visit to St. Ange, at the village of St. Louis, this injured woman hunted up some of her kindred and assisted them in murdering Pontiac. The hold this great chief had on the people of his confederation was so firm that when jthey learned of his murder they brought on a war of extermina- tion and before it was over the Illinois Indians were nearly all killed. The beautiful woman who caused his death was re-captured and burned at the stake. CHAPTER II. GEORGE ROGERS CLARK AND THE ENGLISH. Treatment of Inhabitants of Northwest by English — Their Indian AlliEvS — Clark's Resolve to Reduce THE Forts — His Alliance with the French Inhab- itants — Reduction of Fort Kaskaskia — Reduction OF Post Vincennes — Captain Leonard Helm in Charge OF Vincennes — Vincennes Recaptured by Lieut. Gov- ernor Hamilton — Attempt of Hamilton to Dislodge Clark and Drive Him from the Territory — Capture of Francis Vigo — Clark's March from Kaskaskia to Vincennes — Capture of Vincennes — Regaining the Confidence of the Indians — Later achievements and - Failures of Clark. After reading Theodore Roosevelt's extensiv-e work on "Winning- the West," William E. English's elaborate histor}" of the conquest of the Northwest territory' and "The Life of George Rogers Clark" and John P. Dunn, Jr.'s "American Commonwealth," in which his Hannibal of the west is one of the man)" subjects treated b)' him in an entertaining and in- structive manner, it ma}' seem presumptuous to attempt to write about that subject, but to attempt to write a a pioneer history of Indiana without detJailirig" the heroic work of the hero of the Northwest territor)% would be like presenting the plaj- of "Hamlet" with Hamlet left out. George Rogers Clark was born in Albermarle count)', Virginia, November 19, 1752. In early life, he, like Wash- ington, was a surveyor, preparing himself for his work as a pioneer in a new country. In 1774 he served as an officer in PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 25 Dunmore's war. In this way he first became acquainted with the western country. In 1775 he first visited Kentucky. At that time he was a Major. That fall he returned to Virg-inia and commenced making- preparations to move to the west the next spring-. Having moved and become a fixture there, he set about to aid the people and that section of the country to which he had attached himself. The advantages were ob- vious but its distance from the settled colonies and its ex- posure to hostile Indian tribes, rendered his occupation ver}' perilous. Clark was not an ordinary man — his mind was verv comprehensive. He knew no danger and was in full vigor of young manhood, with energ-y and determination that would surmount all difficulties. As we before noted, during all the time the French had control of the territory that is now Indiana they made no per- manent improvements, having^ intermarried and adopted the habits of the Indians, living- in bark and skin tepees. There were fewer than a hundred white families at post Vincennes* at Ouiatenon, Wea prairie, near Lafa3'ette, not more than fifteen or twenty families and at the Twightee village, now Ft. Wayne, Indiana, about ten families. From 1763 up to the time that Vincennes was captured by George Rogers Clark, the Eng-lish people established but few posts. They only strengthened those that the French had at Ft. Miami (Fort Waynej and the stations on the Wea prairies, Ouiatenon and post Vincennes. At these stations after the commencement of the Revolutionary war, there were British officers with a small command of British troops that gathered around them a band of Indians who were placed un- der partisan officers. These officers sent them out in detach- ments to prey upon the unsuspecting- settlers who were then upon the borders of the Ohio east of what afterward became Louisville, Kentucky, and into Virginia. Those from Vin- cennes directed their depredations princii)ally against the scattered settlements in northern Kentucky. This condition of thingi> continued until George Rogers Clark captured Lieutenant Governor Hamilton and his band of partisans at Vincennes in 177*i. 26 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. After the treat)- between France and England, the British authorities, on coming into possession of that vast empire, did everything in their power to keep improvements from be- ing made. There were several propositions made to the king b}' his British subjects of England and b}- his Amer- ican colonies, who had means, for permission to make extensive improvements in the rich country bordering on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, and to plant colonies in many places. All of these propositions were rejected. The few settlements which were made got along the best they could without anj' protection. This immense territory had Indian towns and villages scattered all over it. There were many desperadoes who left the colonies and made their homes among the Indians. In most these free-booters were fu- gitives from justice. When the war for independence came these desperate characters, through the influence of British agents, declared their allegiance to the British crown. They, through their intercourse with the Indians, did much to cause them to take up the hatchet against the Americans. These Indians and their partisan allies were organized into detachments to go to the western borders of the American colonies to murder, scalp and capture the inhabitants. As an inducement for them to do this bloody work, they were offered as a reward, one pound for children and women scalps or for them as prisoners; three pounds for a man's scalp, no reward for him as prisoner, and five pounds or twenty dollars for young and come- ly women prisoners. The white villians whg were with their Indian allies, were, if possible, more lost to human sympathy than the Indians. They seem to have lost all human feeling and would kill and destroy the helpless people whom they found on the borders. Ignoring all restraint they deliberate- ly went into the settlements where they had formerly lived and where their kith and kin resided. The pleading of the helpless and aged mother or the wail of the infant, seemed to be music to the ears of these brutal butchers. After killing and capturing all they could, they burned and destroyed the homes and such propert)^ as they could not carry away. Go- PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 27 ing- back with their liendish Indian allies to the British posts, they were received with jjreat military parade as if they were returning- heroes from a great victory. They received the reward for their scalps and then five pounds for the young- women prisoners, who were turned over to the British officers and traders to a life of servitude. A thousand deaths would have been preferable to the violated and insulted womanhood that these poor helpless victims, mothers and fair daughters of Virginia and Kentucky had to indure. The continued raids made by the Indians and their more brutal allies, be- came so damaging to the exposed settlements that there was great danger of their being broken up. General Clark heard the appeal of these abused people and determined to avenge the many deaths caused by these barbarians. Having explored the rurrounding country of his new home and seen much of the Indians, he learned that the continual hostility that they showed toward the white people was caused by the British commanders and their emissaries at Detroit, Kaskaskia and Vincennes and that these posts would retard the settlement of the new country. He was convinced that the thing to do was to reduce these forts and made a statement of these facts to the Virginia legislature in December, 1777, outlining a plan for the successful accom- plishment of this purpose. It was approved by Governor Henry and his council, and twelve hundred pounds was ap- propriated for the expenses and four companies of men were raised for the expedition. In the spring of 1778 they rendez- voused at Corn Island in the Ohio river, opposite Louisville, Kentucky. The four companies were commanded by Cap- tains Joseph Bowman, Leonard Helm, John Montgomery and William Harrod. The memoirs of Clark say that — "On the 24th of June, 1778, we left our camp and ran up the river for a mile in order to gain the main channel and shoot over the falls. I knew that spies were on the river below and that I might fool them, I resolved to march a part of the way by land. The force, after leaving such as were not able to stand the march with their companies, was very much reduced in num- 28 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. bers and much smaller than I had expected. "Owing to the man}- difficulties I had to encounter, I found it was best to change m)' plans. As the post of Vin- cennes at that time had a considerable force of British and In- dians and an Indian town was adjoining, there were large num- bers of Indian warriers there all the time. I regarded Vin- cennes of much more importance than an^^ of the others, and had intended to attack it first, but finding I could not risk such a hazardous undertaking, I resolved to go to Kaskaskia. There were several villages along the Mississippi river but they were some distance apart. I had acquainted myself with the fact that the French inhabitants in these western villages had great influence over the Indians and were re- garded with much favor by them, as they had been their old allies in former war before the English captured the country from them; so I resolved, if possible, to attach the French to our interests. I had received a letter from Colonel Campbell, from Pittsburg, informing me that France had formed an alliance with the Colonies. As I intended to leave the Ohio at Ft. Massac, three leagues below the mouth of the Ten- nesee river, I landed on a small island in the mouth of that river in order to prepare for the march. A few days after starting a man named Duff and a party of hunters coming down the. river were stopped by our boats. They were for- merh' from the States and assured of their loyalty. They had been at Kaskaskia onl}- a short time before and could give us all the intelligence we wanted. They said that Gov- ernor Abbot had left Vincennes and gone to Detroit; that Mr. Rochblave commanded at Kaskaskia; that the militia was in good condition and would give us a warm reception if the}- knew of our coming; that spies were constantly kept on the Mississippi and all hunters, Indians and others, had orders to keep a close lookout for the rebels; that the fort was kept in good order and that the soldiers were much on parade. They had been taught that we were a lot of desperate men, especi- ally the Virginians. The hunters said if the place could be surprised, which they hoped we might do, the}- thought there would be no resistance and they hoped we would take them PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 29 :and let them aid in the capture. This I concluded to do and they proved true men and valuable to the expedition. No part of the information pleased me more than that the inhabitants viewed us as more savajje than the Indians and I was deter- mined to improve upon this if I should be so fortunate as to get them into my possession. Havinjj everything ready, we moved down to a small gulley a short distance above Ft. Massac, in which we con- cealed our boats and started to march. On the fourth of July, in the evening, we got within a few miles of the town, where we la}' until nearlv dark. Keeping spies ahead we started on the march and took possession of a house where lived a large family, on the banks of the Kaskaskia river, less than a mile from the town. These people informed us that a short time before the militia had been under arms but had concluded that the cause of the alarm was without foundation; that there were a large number of men in town and that the Ind- ians had all gone and everything was quiet. Boats were soon secured and the command crossed the river. With one of the divisions I marched to the fort and ordered the other two divisions into different quarters of the town. If I met with no resistance, at a certain signal a general shout was to be ^iven and certain parts were to be immediately possessed and the men of each detachment who could speak the French language, were to run through every street of the town and proclaim what had happened and inform the inhabitants that ■every one who should come on the street would be shot down. This had the desired effect. In a very short time every ave- nue was guarded to prevent anyone from escaping to give the alarm to other villages. "I don't suppose that greater silence ever reigned among the inhabitants of a place than did over those of this post. Not a person was to be seen, not a word to be heard from them for some time; but the troops, by my order, kept up the the greatest noise all over the town during the whole night. In two hours time all the inhabitants were disarmed and in- formed that if they made an attem]it to escajie tlu-y would immediately be put to death. 30 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. "The morning- after the capture a few of the principal men had been arrested and put in irons. Soon afterward M. Gibault, the village priest, accompanied b)' some aged citizens, waited on me and said the inhabitants expected to be separated, perhaps never to meet again, and the}' begged the privilege of again assembling in their church, there to take leave of each other. I told the priest that we had noth- ing against their religion; that that was a matter ihe Ameri- cans left ever}' man to settle with his God and that the peo- ple could assemble at their church if they wished to but they must not attempt to escape. Nearly all the population as- sembled at the church. After the meeting a deputation con- sisting of Gibault and several other persons waited on me and said that their present situation was the fate of war and that they could submit to the loss of property but they asked that they might noi be separated from their wives and children and that some clothes and provisions might be allowed for their support. I feigned supprise at this request and abruptly exclaimed — 'Do you mistake us for savages? I am almost certain you do, from you language. Do you think that the Americans intend to strip women and children; or take the bread out of their mouths? My countrymen disdain to make war on helpless innocents. It was to prevent the horrors of Indian butchery upon our wives and children that we have taken arms and penetrated this remote stronghold of British and Indian barbarity, and not the despicable prospects of plunder.' I further told them as the King of France had united his powerful arms with those of the Americans, the war in all probability would not continue long, but that the inhabitants of Kaskaskia were at liberty to take which side the pleased without the least danger either to their families, or their property, nor would their religion be any source of disagreement, as all religions were regarded with equal res- pect by the American lav.'s and that any insult offered to it would be immediately punished. Then I said — 'And now to prove my sincerity, you will inform your fellow citi;^ens that they are quite at liberty to conduct themselves as usual with- out the least apprehend- ion. 1 am now convinced from what PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 31 I have learned since my arrival amon}]: you that you have been misinformed and prejudiced ayfainst us by the British officers and your friends who are in confinement shall be im- mediately released.' In a few minutes after the delivery of this speech, the yfloom that had rested on the minds of the inhabitants of Kaskaskia had passed away. Their arms were restored to them and a volunteer company of French Militia joined a detachment under Captain Bowman, when that officer was despatched to take possession of Cahokia. The inhabit- ants of this small villa^re readily took the oath of allej,aance to the State of Virj^inia." The news of the treaty of alliance between France and America and the influence of the ma.g- nanimous conduct of Clark, induced the French village to take the oath of allej^-iance to the State of Virjjfinia. The memoirs of Clark proceed — "The post of Vincennes was never out of my mind and from something: that I had learned, I had reason to suspect that M. Gibault, the priest, was favorable to the American interest, previous to our arrival in the country. He had g:reat influence over the people at this period and Post Vincennes was under his jurisdiction. I had no doubt of his loyalty to us and I had a long- conference with him about Post Vincennes. In answer to my questions he said — that he did not think it worth while for any military preparations to be made at the falls of Ohio, for the attack on Post Vincennes, although the place was strong and there was a great number of Indians in its neighborhood, who, to his knowledge, were generally at war; that Governor Abbot had a few weeks before, left the place for some business at Detroit. He expected when the inhabitants were fully ac- (luainted with what had passed at Illinois and the present hapi)iness of their friends and made fully acquainted with the nature of the war, that their sentiments would greatly change. He told me that his appearance would have great weight even among the savage and if it were agreeable to me he would take this business on himself, having no doubt of his being able to bring the place over to the American inter- ests without my being at the trouble of marching against it. As his business was altogether spiritual, he wished that an- 32 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. other person mig-ht be charged with the temporal part of the embass3% but he said he would privately direct the whole and named Dr. Lafont as his associate. This was perfectly agreeable to what I had been secretly aiming at for several da3^s. The plan was immediatel}" settled and the two doctors with their attendant retinue, among whom I had a spy, set about preparing for the journey and on the fourteenth of July started with an address for the inhabitants of post Vin- cennes, authorizing them to garrison their town themselves, which was intended to convince them of the great confidence we put in them. All this had the desired effect. M. Gibault and his part}- arrived and after a day or two occupied in ex- plaining matters to the people, the}' all acceded to the pro- posal (except a few emissaries left by Governor Abbot, and they immediatel}' left the Country) and went in a body to the church, where the oath of allegiance was administered to them in a most solemn manner. An ofl&cer was selected, the fort garrisoned and the American flag displa)'ed, to the astonishment of the Indians, and everything settled far be3'ond our most sanguine hopes. The people here began to immed- iately put on a new face and talk in a different style and act as perfect freemen, with a garrison of their own and the United States at their elbow. Their language to the Indians was immediatel}' altered. They began as citizens of the United States and informed the Indians that their old father, the King of France, was come to life again and was mad at them for fighting for the English. They said they would advise the Indians to make peace with the Americans as soon as they could, otherwise they might expect the land to be very blood}'. "The Indians began to think very seriously throughout the country. This was now the kind of language they got from their ancient friends of the Wabash and Illinois. Through the means of their correspondence spreading among the nat- ions there was a decided change in all the neighbroring tribes of Indians. "M. Gibault and party accompanied by several gentlemen from post Vincennes, returned to Kaskaskia about the fourth PIONEER HISTORY OFlINDIANA. 33 of Augfust with the joyful news. During- his absence on this business, which caused me great anxiet)', (for without that post all my work would have been in vain), I was engaged in regulating things in the Illinois. The reduction >]of these posts was the period of the enlistment of our troops. I was at a great loss at this time to determine how to act and how far I might venture to strain my authority. My instructions were silent on many important points as it was impossible to foresee the events that would take place. To abandon the country and all the prospects that opened to our view in the Indian department at this time, for want of instructions in certain cases, I thought would amount to a reflection on our Government as having no confidence in me and I resolved to usurp all the authority necessary to carry my points. I had the greater part of the troops reenlisted on a different estab- lishment; commissioned French officers to command a com- pany of young Frenchmen; established a garrison at Cahokia commanded by Captain Bowman and another at Kaskaskia commanded by Captain Williams. Post Vincennes remained in the situation as mentioned. I sent Captain John Mont- gomery to the Government with letters and dispatches and again turned my attention to Post Vincennes. I plainly saw that it would be highly necessary to have an American officer at that post and Captain Leonard Helm appeared to be suited in man}- ways for the position. He was past the meridian of life and well acquainted with Indian life and their disposi- tions. I sent him to command that post, also appointed him agent for the Indian afl^air of the Wabash. "About the middle of August Captain Helm started out to take possession of his new command. An Indian chief called "Tobacco's Son," a Piankashaw, at this time, was residing in the village adjoining Post Vincennes. He was called b}' the Indians — "The Grand Door of the Wabash;" and as there was nothing to be undertaken by the League on the Wabash with- out his consent, I discovered that to win him was of signal importance. I sent him a spirited compliment by M. Gibault — he returned it. I now, by Captain Helm, touched him on the same spring that I had the inhabitants and sent a speech 34 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. with a belt of wampum, directing- Captain Helm how to man- age if the chief was pacifically inclined or otherwise. The Captain arrived safel}^ at Post Vincennes and was received with acclamation b}- the people. After the usual ceremony was over he sent for Grand Door and delivered m}^ letter to him. After having- it read he informed the Captain that he was happ5' to see him — one of Big Knife's chiefs — in this town. It was here that he had joined the English against him, but Grand Door confessed that he always thought they looked gloom3\ He said that as the letter was of great importance, he would not give an answer for some time; that he must collect his counsellors on the subject and was in hopes that the Captain would be patient. In a short time he put on all the courtly dignit}^ that he was master of and Captain Helm followed his example. It was several days before the busi- ness was finished as the proceedings were ver)' ceremonious. "At length the Captain was summoned to the Indian Council and informed by Tobacco that he had maturely con- sidered the case in hand and had had the nature of the war between us and the English explained to their satisfaction. As we spoke the same language and appeared to be the same people, he always thought that Big Knife was in the dark of it, but now that the sk}" was cleared up he found that Big- Knife was in the right. Perhaps, he said, if the English conquered ihev would serve them in the same manner that they intended to serve us. He told the Captain that his ideas were quite changed and that he would tell all the Red people on the Wabash to bloody the land no more for the English. He jumped up, struck his breast, called himself a man and a warrior; said that now he was a Big Knife and took Captain Helm b}' the hand. His example was followed by all present and the evening was spent in merriment. Thus ended this valuable negotiation and the saving of much blood. In a short time almost all of the various tribes of the ditferent nations on the Wabash as high up as the Ouiatenon, came to Post Vincennes and followed the example of the Grand Door chief, and as expresses were continually passing between Cap- tain Helm and myself, during the entire time of these treaties. PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 35 the business was settled perfectly to m_v satisfaction and greatly to the advantajjfe of the public." Governor Henry soon received intellij^ence of the success- ful progress of the expedition under the command of Colonel Clark. The French inhabitants of the village of Kaskaskia, Cahokia and Post Vincennes, having taken the oath of allegi- ance lo the slate of Virginia, the General Assembly of that stale in 1778 passed an act which contained the following provisions, viz: — 'All the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia who are already settled or shall hereafter settle on the western side of the Ohio, shall be included in the district county which shall be called Illinois county and the Governor of this Commonwealth, with the advice of the Council, may appoint a County Lieutenant or a Commander in Chief in that count}' during pleasure, who shall appoint and commission so many Deputy Commandants of military officers and commis- sioners as he shall think proper in the different districts dur- ing pleasure; all of whom, before they enter into oflice, shall take the oath of iidelii}' to this Commonwealth and the oath of office according to the forms of their religion; and all the civil officers which the inhabitants have been accustomed to, necessary for the preservation of peace and the administration of justice, shall be chosen by a majority of the citizens in their respective districts to be convened for that purpose by the County Lieutenant or Commandant or his deputy and shall be commissioned by the said County Lieutenant or Commander in Chief.'' Before ihe provisions of this law were carried into effect, Henry Hamilicn, the British Lieutenant (Governor of Detroit, collected an army consisting of about thirty regulars, fifty French volunteers and four hundred Indians. With this force he passed down the Wabash and took possession of Post Vincennes on the fifteenth of December, 1778. No attempt was made by the population to defend the town. Captain Helm was taken and detained as a prisoner and a nunil)er of the French inhab- itants were disarmed. When (Governor Hamilton entered Vincennes, there were but two Americans there, Captain Helm, the commander, and a soldier by the name of Henry. 36 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. The latter had a cannon well charged and placed in the open fortg-ate, while Helm stood b}- with a lighted match in hand. "When Hamilton and his troops got within hailing distance, the Captain in a loud voice called out — "Halt." This stopped the movements of Hamilton who in repl}' demanded a surren- der of the garrison. Helm exclaimed. "No man shall enter here until I know the terms." Hamilton answered, "You shall have the honors of war." The fort was surrendered with a garrison of one officer and one private. Lieutenant Governor Hamilton, before leaving Detroit, made all the arrangements for a grand onward rush against the settlements west of the Allegheu}- Mountains in the early spring of 1779, Colonel George Rogers Clark in the latter part of 1778 had marched into the wilderness of the Northwest with less than two hundred Virginians, captured Kaskaskia and Caho" kia and made a peaceable conquest of Vincennes in the heart of the Indian countr}'. He was now in position to check the savages if the}' persisted in their attacks on the 3'oung settle- ments in Kentuck}' and Virginia and to breakup their confed- erations with the British. Lieutenant Governor Hamilton de- termined, if possible, to recapture the lost forts, and to this end, he left Detroit with a company of Regulars and Volun- teers and gathered an army of Indians three times as large as Clark had. Having recaptured Vincennes without any op- position, he went about repairing the fort to make suitable quarters for the garrison. Being late in the season and the weather very bad, he sent his Indian army away in the com- mand of some of his Canadian Indian partisans to the Ohio river to watch for and intercept reinforcements to Clark's army and to annoy the settlements on the borders of Ken- tucky and Virginia. He sent delegates to the Southern Indians to prepare them for the coming raid when spring shouM open and selected points to rendezvous in the spring, in order to be in a position to dislodge Clark and drive him out of the country. His intention then was to overrun the country west of the Allegheny Mountains with his northern and southern Indian confederates and sweep away all opposition to the British in PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 37 all the vast reyfion between the Mississippi river and the Alle^han}' Mountains. Fortunately for the American cause, Hamilton had underrated his rival who was a much better soldier and much more resourceful than he was. After Post Vincennes had been recaptured by Hamilton from Captain Helm, Clark was at Kaskaskia and had no in- formation of the situation there until the latter part of Janu- uary, 177W. He m.et with Francis Vi«j^o, who was a trader at that time in St.- Louis and favorable to the Americans. He tendered Clark his services and was reijuested to yfo to Post Vincennes to report the condition of tliin{j:"s at that place. Vi^o readily accepted the hazardous service and started, but before he yot to his destination he was captured by hostile Indians and carried a prisoner before Governor Hamilton who had then been at the Post onlv a few days. For some three weeks Vij^o was held a prisoner on parole, requiring- him to report daily to the fort then called Fort Sackville. He refused to be set at liberty which was offered him if he would swear that he would not do anything- during the war that would be inimical to the British interest. Father Gi- bault, who was a great friend to the Americans, as we have shown, interested himself in Vigo's behalf and after services one Sunday morning, the latter part of January, went to the fort, attended by a large number of parishioners and notified Hamilton that they would not sell any more supplies to his troops until Vigo was released. Hamilton had no evidence ag-ainst him so he agreed to release him on condition that he would not do anything to injure the British interests on his way to St. Louis. Vigo started with two companions down the Wabash and Ohio and went up the Mississippi until St. Louis was reached. He was only a short time in securing" some needed clothing and supplies, and was soon in his pirogue going down the Mississippi as fast as his boat would take him. Arriving in a short time at Kaskaskia, he gave Clark a minute account concerning all matters at Vincennes. Seven days after receiving Vigo's report, Clark, with a force of one hundred and seventy men, started on a dreary march from Kaskaskia on the Mississii)pi to Vincennes 38 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. on the Wabash river. At the same time he despatched an armed g-alle)- with fortj' men under Captain John Rogers to go down the Mississippi river, up the Ohio and Wabash to a point near the mouth of White river. The route Clark fol- lowed was an old Indian trace through forests and prairies. The weather being uncommonl}- rain}', all the large streams were out of their banks. These hard}' woodsmen, weig^hed down with their arms and provisions, pressed along on foot through forest, marshes, ponds, broad rivers and overflowed lowlands, until they reached the crossing of the Little Wabash where the bottoms were overflowed sev^eral miles in width to the depth of three to five feet. The troops waded into the water, which in some places was up to their arm pits, even to the necks of some of the shorter men, and commenced to make their wa}' across. During the journey a favorite song would be sung, the whole detachment joining in the chorus. When the}' had arrived at the deepest part from whence it was in tended to transport the troops in two canoes which they had ob- tained, one of the men said that he felt a path quite perceptible to his naked feet, supposing that it must pass over the highest ground. This march was continued to a place called "The Sugar Camp." Clark's Memoirs gives the following: — "Where we found about half an acre of dry ground, at least not under water, there we went into camp. Most of the weather we had on this march was warm for the season. The night we went into camp was the coldest we had and the ice in the morning, which was the finest we had on the march, was from one- half to three-quarters of an inch thick near the shore and still water. A little after sunrise I lectured the men. What I said to them I have forgotten but I concluded by informing them that passing the place that was then in full view and reaching the opposite woods, would put an end to their fatigue. I told, them that in a few minutes they would have a sight of their long-looked-for object and immediately stepped into the water without waiting for a reply, whereup- on there was a great huzza. As we generally marched through the water in line, before the third man entered I PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 39 halted and called to Cai)tain Bowman, orderinj^ him to fall in the rear with twenty-live men and put to death any who re- fused to march, as we wished to have no such persons among us. All ofave a cry of approbation and on we went. This was the most trying- of all the difficulties we had experienced. I generally kept fifteen or twenty of the strongest men near myself, and judged from my own feelings what must have been that of others. "When I reached the middle of the plain, the water being about mid-deep, I found myself sensibly failing and as there were no trees or bushes for the men to support them- selves by, I feared that many of the weak would be drowned. I ordered the canoes to make the land, discharge their load- ing and play back and forward with all diligence, and to pick up the men and encourage the party. I sent some of the strongest men forward with orders that, when they got to a certain distance to pass the word back that the water was getting shallow and when they got near the woods to cry out — 'Land'. This strategem had its desired effect. The men encouraged by it exerted themselves almost beyond their abil- ities, the weak holding by the stronger, the water never get- ting shallower but continuing deeper. Getting to the woods where the men expected land, the water was up to my shoulders, but gaining the woods was of great consequence. All the short and weakly men hung to the trees and floated on the old logs until they were taken off by the canoes. Those who were strong and tall got ashore and built fires. Many would reach the shore and fall with their bodies half in the water, not being able to support themselves without it. This shore was a delightful dry spot of ground of about ten acres. We soon found that the fires did not avail to warm the men and bring back the circulation, but two strong men had to take the weaker ones by the arms and run them up and down along the path in order to restore the circulation and, it being a delightful day, this had the desired effect. Fortu- nately, as if designed by Providence, a canoe of Indian scjuaws and children was coming up to town and took through this plain as a near way. It was discovered by our canoes as 40 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. they were out after the men and they g-ave chase, taking the Indian canoe captive. On board there was a half a quarter of buffalo, some corn, tallow and kettles. This was a grand prize and was invaluable. Broth was immediatel}^ made and served to the weakest ones with great care. Most all men got a little but a great man}' gave their share to their weaker comrades, jocosel}' saying something cheering to them as they did so. By the afternoon this little refresh- ment and fine weather gave new life to my men. "After crossing a narrow, deep lake in the canoes and marching some distance we came to a copse of timber called "Warrior Island." We were now about two miles distant from the town and in full view of the fort, with not a shrub between us. Ever}' man feasted his eyes and forgot that he had suffered anything; saying that all that had passed was owing to good policy and nothing but what a man could bear^ and that a soldier had no right to think; passing from one extreme to another, which is common in such cases. It was now that we had to display our abilities. The plain between us and the town was not a perfect level. The sunken ground was covered with water, full of ducks and we observed sev- eral men on horseback shooting them, within half a mile of us. We sent out a number of our young Frenchmen to decoy and take one of these men prisoner, in such a manner as not to alarm the others," which they did. The information we got from this prisoner was that the British had that evening com- pleted the walls of the fort and that there were a good many Indians in town. Our situation -was now truly critical as there was no possibility of retreating in case of defeat and in full view of the town that had at this time upwards of six hundred men in it. The crew of the galley, though not fifty men, would now have been a reinforcement of immense mag- nitude to our little army. But we would not think of them. We were now in the situation that I had labored to get our- selves in. The idea of being made prisoner was foreign to al- most every man as they expected nothing but torture from the savage if they fell into their hands. Our fate was now to be determined, probably in a few hours, and we knew that noth- PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 41 inj,'- but the most daring conduct would insure success. I knew that a number of the inhabitants wished us well, that man}- were lukewarm to the interests of either and I also learned that The Grand Door, Tobacco's Son, had but a few dajs before, openl}- declared in council with the British that he was a brother and friend to the Big Knife. These were favorable circumstances and as there was but little probabil- it)' of our remaining until dark undiscovered, I determined to begin the career immediately and wrote the following placard to the inhabitants — "To the inhabitants of Post ^'i^cennes, Gentle- men: — Being now within two miles of your village with my army, determined to take your fort this night and not being willing to surprise you. I take this method to recjuest those of you who are true citizens and willing to enjoy the liberty I bring to you. to remain still in your houses; and those, if an}' there be, who are friends to the King, will instantly repair to the fort and join the "Hair-buying Gen- eral" and tight like men, and if any such as do not go to the fort shall be discovered afterward, thev may depend on severe punishment. On the contrary, those who are true friends of liberty may depend on being well treated and I once more request iliem to keep out of the streets for every one I find in arms on my arrival I shall treat as an enemy." Signed, G. R. Cl.\rk. "I had various ideas on the supp(.)sed results of this let- ter. I knew it could do us no damage, but it would cause the lukewarm to decide, encourage our friends and astonish our enemies. We anxiously viewed this messenger until he en- tered the town and in a few moments could discover, by our glasses, some stir in every street that we could penetrate, and great numbers running or riding out on the commons, we supposed to view us, which was the case. The thing that surprised us was that nothing as yet had hapi)ene(l that had the appearance of the garrison being alarmed — no drum, no guns. We began to suppose the informatit)n we got from our prisoners was false and that the enemy already knew of us and were i)rei)ared. A little before sunset we 42 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. moved and displaj'ed ourselves in full view of the town, crowds gazing- at us. We were plunging ourselves into cer- tain destruction or success, nothing less than these being thought of. We had but little to sa}' to our men except to inculcate the idea of the necessity of obedience. We knew that they did not need encouraging and that anything might be attempted with them that was possible for such a number of men to perform. They were perfectly cool under subordina- tion, pleased with the prospect before them and much at- tached to their officers. They all declared that they were convinced that implicit obedience to order was the only thing that would insure success and hoped that no mercy would be shown to persons violating such orders. Language like this from soldiers to persons in our situation was exceedingl)^ agreeable. "We moved on slowly in full view of the town, but as it was a point of some consequence to us to make ourselves appear as formidable as possible, in leaving the covert which we were in we marched and countermarched in such a manner that we appeared numerous. In raising volunteers in Illi- nois, ever}" person that set about the business had a set of colors given him which they brought with them to the amount of ten or twelve pair. These were displa3'ed to the best advantage and as the low plain we marched through was not a perfect level but had frequent raises in it, seven or eight feet higher than the common level, which was covered with water, and as these raises generally ran in an oblique direc- tion to the town, we took advantage of one of them, march- ing through the water under it, which completely prevented our being numbered. Our colors showed considerably above the heights as they were fixed on long poles for the purpose and at a distance made no despicable appearance. As our young Frenchmen, while on Warrior Island, decoyed and took several fowlers with their horses, officers were now mounted on these horses and rode about, more completel}" to deceive the enemy. In this manner we moved and directed our march in such a way as to suffer it to be dark before we had advanced more than half way to the town. We then suddenly altered PIONEER HISTORY OK INDIANA. 4:> our direction, crossed ])onds where they could not have ex- pected VIS and about eiy^ht o'clock 3 nicate to you as the united Voice of tlie Rxecuiive— '* General Clark was out of the service hut wiien trouble came with the Indians in 178^) there was no one to lake his place. In this year they were upon the war-path and mur- dered a g-ood man}' white persons, some of these takinj^ place around Vincennes and others in the new settlement being- made near Clarksville. A strong military force was raised in Kentucky for the purpose of attacking- the Indians on the Wabash. About one thousand men under the command of General (reorg-e Rog-ers Clark marched from the Falls of the Ohio for Post Vincennes and arrived in the neighborhood of that place early in the month of October where they lay in camp for several days waiting: the arrival of some military stores and ]irovisions which had been shipped on keel boats from Louisville and Clarksville. When ihe boats arrived at Post Vincennes, it was found that most of the provision was spoiled and that part which had been l)rought with the com- mand overland was almost exhausted. These misfortunes soon made a spirit of discontent which daily increased. The Kentucky troops having been reinforced by a number at Post Vincennes, were ordered to move up the Wabash river toward the Indian lowns which lay in the vicinity of the ancient post of Ouiatenon. The people of these lowns had learned of the approach of the Kentuckians and had selected the place among ihe defiles of Pine creek for an ambuscade. On reach- ing ihe neighborhood of the Vermillion river it was found that the Indians had desened their village on that stream near its junction with the Wabash. At this crisis, when ihe spirits of the officers and men were depressed by disai)i)oint- ment, hungfer and fatigue, some person circulated ihrough the camp a rumor that (ieneral Clark had sent a Hag of iruce to the Indians with the t)ffer of peace or war. This rumor combined with the lamentable change which had taken phice in the once temperate, energetic and commanding character of Clark, excited among- the troopers a si)irit oi insubordina- tion which neither the command nor entreaties, nor the tears of the (General, could subdue. At that encamptnent, about tliree hundred men in a l)ody. left the army and i)roceeded on '64 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. their wa}- homeward. The remainder of the troops under the •command of General Clark, then abandoned the expedition and returned to Post Vincennes. In this same month of October a board composed of field officers in the Wabash expedition, met in council at Post Vincennes and unanimously agreed that a g-arrison at that place would be of essential service to the district of Kentuck}' and that supplies mig-ht be had in the district more than suf- ficient for their support, b}- impressment or otherwise, under the direction of a commissar}' to be appointed for that pur- pose, pursuant to the authorit}' invested in the field officers of the district bj- the executive of Virginia. The same board appointed John Craig-, Jr., a commissar}' of purchase and re- solved that one field officer and two hundred and fifty men, exclusive of a company of artillery, commanded by Captain Dalton, be recruited to garrison the Post and that Colonel John Holder be appointed to command the troops in this ser- vice in order to carry these resolutions into effect. General Clark, who assumed the supreme direction of the corps, be- gan to levy recruits, appoini officers and impress provision for the support of a garrison at Post Vincennes. He sent messengers to the Indian tribes that lived on the borders of the Wabash and invited these tribes to meet him in Council at Clarksville on the 20ih of November, 1786, and make a treaty of peace and friendship. The chiefs of the different bands sent word to General Clark that they were willing to meet him in council, not at Clarksville but at Post Vincennes. The following is an extract from their answer — "My elder Brother: — Thou ought to know the place we have been accustomed to speak at. It is at Post Vincennes. There our chiefs are laid; there our ancestors bed is and that of our father, the French and not at Clarksville where you require us to meet you. We don't know such a place, but at Post Vincennes where we always went when necess- ary to hold council. My elder Brother, thou inform- est me I must meet you at the place I have mentioned yet thou seest, my Brother, that the season is far ad- vanced and ihat i would not have time to invite my PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 65 allies to come to your council, which we pray you to hold at Post Vincennes." In replying- to this message and to other communications of similar nature General Clark said — "I propose the last of April, 1787, for the grand council to be held at this place. Post Vincennes, where I expect all those who are inclined to open the road will appear and we can soon discover what the Deity means." For a long period after General Clark was let out of the service of Virginia, he was called upon by the United States to act as a Commissioner in almost all the treaties made be- tween the United States and the Indians. There is an amusing story related about the treaty of Fort Mackintosh on the Ohio river in 1785. The great Chief of the Delawares, Buckongehelas, was present and took part in the treaty. After the other chiefs had addressed the United States Commisssioners who were Generals Georg^e Rogers Clark, Arthur Lee and Richard Butler, Buckongehelas arose and not noticing Lee or Butler, went to General Clark and took him by the hand saj'ing — "I thank the Great Spirit for having this day brought together two such great warriors as Buckongehelas and General Clark." This may have shown too much self-appreciation on the part of this great Indian, but it was recorded that he possessed all the (jualities of a great man and never violated a treaty nor an engagement. On the last day of January, 1785, General Clark. Richard Butler and Samuel Parsons were appointed United States Commissioners to negotiate a treaty with the Shawnees and other Indians. At this treaty an incident occurred that showed Clark's fearless character and was a striking instance of his ascendancy over the minds of the Indians and also showed the characteristics which gave him that ascendancy. The Indians came to the treaty at Fort Washington in a most friendly manner, except the Shawnees, the most con- ceited and warlike of the aborigines — "the tirst at the battle and the last at the treaty." Three hundred of their finest warriors set off in all their paint and feathers tiled into the 66 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. council house. Their number and demeanor so unusual at an occasion of this sort was altogether unexpected and sus- picious. The United States stockade mustered seventy men. In the center of the hall at a little table, sat the Com- missioners, one of them General Clark, the indefatigable scourg-e of these ver}^ marauders, also General Butler, Mr. Parsons and a Captain Denny being present. On the part of the Indians an old councilsachem and a war chief took the lead. The latter, a tall, raw-boned fellow with an impudent and a villainous look, made a boisterous and threatening speech which operated effectively on the passions of the Indians who set up a prodigious whoop at every pause. He concluded by presenting a black and white wampum to sig- nify that they were prepared for either event, peace or war. Clark exhibited the same unaliering and careless countenance he had shown during the whole scene, his head leaning on his left hand, his elbow resting on the table. He raised his little cane and pushed the sacred wampum off the table with very little ceremony. Every Indian at the same time started from his seat with one of those sudden simultaneous and pe- culiarly savage sounds which startles and disconcerts the stoutest hearts and can neither be described nor forgotten. At this juncture Clark arose, the scrutinizing eye cowered at his glance. He stamped his foot on the prostrating and insult- ing symbol and ordered the Shawnees to leave the hall. They did so apparently involuntarily and were heard all night debating in the bushes near the fort. The raw-boned Chief was for war and the old Sachem for peace. The laiier prevailed and the next morning ihey came back and ^ued for peace. General Clark no doubt had faults — all men do but his heart was in his work and everything he accomplished was for the advancement of the interest of the Country he loved so well. He was ever ready to risk his life for it and its peo- ple. No man who was acquainted with the facts of General Clark's business affairs with the United States ever offered a doubt as to his integrity. His only fault was intemperance which ruined him. PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 67 In the early nineties when the Indians had become very troublesome throug-hout the Northwest, there was great need of a competent commander who understood the Indians and Indian warfare. Many turned to Clark's record and longfed for such another man. Thomas Jefferson wrote Mr. Innis, of Keiituck} — "Will it not be possible for you to brinj^ General Clark forward? I know the j^reatness of his mind and am the more mortified at the cause that obscures it. Had not this unhappily taken place there was nothing he might not have hoped. Could it be surmounted his lost ground might yet be recovered. No man alive rated him higher than I did and would again were he to become once more what I knew him." It is not too much to say that, liad it not been for Gen- eral Clark, all the Northwest Terrilor}-, at least would have been in the hands of the British at the close of the Revolu- tionar}' war and would have become British property. At the treaty of Paris it was hard work to hold it. France and Spain were opposed to the boundary of the United States coming west of the Alleghan}' mountains or at most the.v be- lieved that the land between the Ohio and the Cumberland rivers should be all the possession they should hold west of the mountains. Congress, in a spirit of submission, advised our three commissioners. Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and John Jay, to take no step without the knowledge and consent of France. Franklin was inclined to obey these instructions but Adams and Jay boldly insisted in disregarding them; conse- quently the treaty was made with England without the dic- tates of France. A few years ago in the State House at Indianapolis, a body of men were assembled who have the great blessings of a free government with the rich boon of American laws and American independence and the libert}' of being gov- erned by the votes of the people, guaranteed to them by the blood of heroism and generalship of the leaders and soldiers of the Revolution; and to none, so far as Indiana is concerned, do the)' owe as much as to General George Rogers Clark. The question this assembly was considering was — should George Rogers Clark have a five thousand dollar monument. 68 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. The motion was acted upon adverse!}'. This, considering- the events that secured the great states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota to the United States by the heroism and unparalelled bravery of the same General Georg-e Rog-ers Clark, places these law-makers in an unenvia- ble light. Clark continued to live at his little home in Clarksville until 1814 when he moved to his sister's, Mrs. William Crog- han, at Locust Grove near Louisville, Kentucky and lived there until the day of his death which occurred on the twen- ty-third da)' of Februar}', 1818. His achievements were those of a hero and will have but few paralells in our countr)-'s historv. CHAPTER III. THE TERRITORY CAPTURED BY GENERAL CLARK FROM 1779 TO THE ORGANIZATION OF THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. General Todd's Proclamation — The Court of Vincennes — Virginia Cedes Northwest Possessions to the United States — Town of Clarksville Laid off — Deed of Cession — Ordinance of 1787, In the 3'ear 1779 General John Todd, who had a commis- sion as Count}' Lieutenant from the colony of Virginia, came to the settlements captured bj' Clark and, in accordance with an act of the Virginia legislature, issued a proclamation con- cerning- the settlements and titles of the land in the southern and western part of what afterward became the Northwest Territor}'. The proclamation read as follows: "ILLINOIS county} To Wit: "Whereas, From the fertility and beautiful situation of the lands bordering on the Mississippi, Ohio, Illinois and Wabash rivers, the taking up of the usual quantity of land heretofore allowed for a settlement b}' the government of Virginia would both injure both the strength and commerce of the country — "I Do Therefore issue this proclamation, strictly en- joining all persons whatsoever from making any new settle- ments upon the flat lands of the said rivers or within one league of said lands unless in manner and form of settlements. 70 IIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. as heretofore made b}- the French inhabitant, until further orders herein given. "And in order that all claims to lands in said count}- may be full}- known and some method provided for perpetuating- by record, the just claims, every inhabitant is required, as soon as conveniently may be to lay before the person, in each district, appointed for the purpose, a memorandum of his or her land with copies of all their vouchers and where vouch- ers have never been given or are lost, such depositions or cer- tificates as will tend to support their claims; the memorandum to mention the quantity of land, to whom originally granted and when; deducing the title through the various occupants, to the present possessor. The number of adventurers who will shortly over-run this country renders the above method necessary, as well to ascertain the vacant lands as to guard against trespasses which will probably be committed on lands not on record. "Given under my hand and seal at Kaskaskia, the 15th of June in the third year of the Commonwealth. 1779. (Signed) John Todd, Jr." For the preservation of peace and the administration of of justice, a court of civil and criminal jurisdiction was or- ganized at Vincennes in June, 1779. The court was com- posed of several magistrates. Colonel J. M. P. Legrass, who had received the appointment of Commander of the Post Vin- cennes, acted as the president of this new court and exercised a controlling influence over the proceedings. Following after the usages of the early commanders of the French posts in the west, the magistrates of the court at Vincennes com- menced to grant tracts of land to the French and American inhabitants of the town and to the officers, both civil and mil- itary, of the county. The court assumed the power of grant- ing lands to all applicants and at the end of the year 1783 there had been twenty-six thousand acres granted. From 1783 to '87, when General .Harmor stopped the granting of land by the Vincennes court, there had been twenty-two thousand acres more granted by that court to individual ap- plicants. The commander of the post and the magistrates PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 71 over whom he presided, formed the opinion that the)' were invested with the authority of all the land in that region which had in 1742 been granted by the Piankashaw Indians to the inhabitants of Post Vincennes for their use. Accord- ingly, an arrangement was made by this greed}' court where- by the whole country in which the Indian title was supposed to be extinguished was divided between the members of the court and orders to that effect were put on record. In order to have the appearance of modest}' each member of the court absented himself on the day the order was to be made in his favor. At the close of the Revolutionary War the United States was deeply in debt and without an}' resources to pay with except what could be derived from the sale of lands west of the Alleghany Mountains. The title of this domain was claimed by a number of the colonies and states as their char- ters extended their limits to any land acijuired on their west. Virginia set up a special claim on account of her conquest and the retaining of posessions through General George Rogers Clark to all the land of the Northwest Territory. To this the other states demurred and said that as they all joined together for a common defense, that whatever was gained by conquest should be shared equally by all. There was so much justice in this that Virginia deeded her northwest possessions to the United States. By an act of the seventh of January, 1781, the General As- sembly of Virginia resolved that on certain conditions they would cede to Congress, for the benefit of the United States, all the right, title and claim which Virginia had to the terri- tory northwest of the River Ohio. Congress, by an act of the 13th of September, 1783, agreed to accept the cession of the ter- ritory and the General Assembly of Virginia on the 2Uth of December, the same year, passed an act authorizing their del- egates in Congress to convey to the United States, the right, title and claim of Virginia to the lands northwest of the River Ohio. In October, 1783, the General Assembly of Virginia passed an act laying off the town of Clarksville at the Falls 72 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. of the Ohio in the county of Illinois. The act provided that the lots of half an acre each should be sold at public auction for the best price that could be obtained. The purchasers were to hold their lots subject to the condition of building on them within three years of the date of sale, a dwelling- house, twent)' feet by eighteen with a brick or stone chimney. William Fleming-, John Edwards, John Campbell, Walker Daniel, George R. Clark, Abraham Chaplin, John Mont- gomery, John Bailey, Robert Todd and William Clark were, by the act of the assembly, constituted trustees for the town of Clarksville. On the first day of March, 1784, Thomas Jefferson, Sam- uel Hard}', Arthur Lee and James Monroe, delegates in con- gress on the part of Virginia, executed a deed of cession by which they deeded to the United States, on certain conditions, all the right, title and claim of Virginia to the country north- west the River Ohio. The deed contained the following con- ditions — "The territory so ceded shall be laid out and formed into states containing a suitable amount of territory, not less than one hundred nor more than one hundred and fifty miles square or as near that amount as circumstances will admit and the states so formed shall be distinct Republican states and admitted members of the Federal Union having the same rights of sovereignty, freedom and independence as the other states. The necessary and reasonable expenses incurred b}" Virginia in subduing any British post or in maintaining forts and garrisons for the defense or in acquiring an}' part of the territory that is here ceded and relinquished, shall be fully reimbursed b}^ the United States. The French and Canadian inhabitants and other settlers of Kaskaskia, Post Vincennes and the neighboring villages who have professed themselves citizens of Virginia shall have their possessions and titles confirmed to them and be protected in the enjoyment of their rights and liberties. A quantity not exceeding one hundred and fifty thousand acres of land, promised by Virginia, shall be allowed and granted to the then Colonel and now General, George Rogers Clark and to the officers and soldiers of his regiment who marched with him when the posts of Kaskas- PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 73: kia and Vincennes were reduced and to the officers and sol- diers who have since been incorporated into the said regi- ment; to be laid oflF in one tract the leng-th of which shall not exceed double the breadth, in such a place on the north- west side of the Ohio as a majorit}* of the officers shall choose and to be afterward divided among the officers and soldiers in due proportion according to the laws of Virginia. In case the quantity of good lands on the southeast side of the Ohio on the waters of the Cumberland river, between Green river and Tennessee river which have been reserved b}' law for the Vir- ginia troops upon continental establishment, should, from the North Carolina line, bearing in farther on the Cumberland lands than was expected, prove insufficient for their legal bounties, the deficienc}' shall be made up to the said troops in good lands to be laid oflF between the River Scioto and Little Miami river on the northwest side of the River Ohio in such proportions as has been engaged to them b^- the laws of Vir- ginia. "All the lands within the territory- so ceded to the United States and not reserved for or appropriated to any of the before mentioned purposes or disposed of in bounties to the officers and soldiers of the American arm}-, shall be con- sidered as common funds for the use and benefits of such of the United States as have become or shall become, members of the confederation of Federal alliances of the said state of Virginia inclusive, according to their usual respective propor- tions in the general charge and expenditure; and shall be faithfully and bonafide disposed of for that purpose and for no other use or purpose whatsoever." In the spring of 1784, after the deed of cession had been accepted by Congress, the subject of future government of the territory was referred to a committee consisting of Messrs. Jefferson, of Virginia, Chase, of Maryland and Howie, of Rhode Island. The committee reported an ordinance for the government for the territory northwest of the River Ohio. The ordinance declared that after the year 1800 there should be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude otherwise than in the punishment of crimes in any of the states to be formed 74 PIONEER HISTORY OP INDIANA. out of said territor}^ This provision of the ordinance was rejected but on the 23rd of April, 1784, Congress, by a series of resolutions provided for the maintenance of temporary government in the country which the United States had acquired northwest of the Ohio. Soon after Virginia had deeded her lands northwest of the River Ohio to the United States, General Rufus Putnam and others organized a Massachusetts Company which had for its purpose the purchase of a large body of land in what is now the state of Ohio. Continental money had become very cheap, worth from fifteen to seventeen cents on the dol- lar. The Company had secured enough of it to pa}' for one and one-half million acres of land. Reverend Manassa Cut- ler, their agent had also intrusted to his care for other par- ties a large amount of this money, in all, enough to purchase five and one-half million acres of land. As this would ma- teriall}' reduce the national debt, the administration of the United States was in favor of it. At that time Massachusetts owned the Territory of Maine which she was trying to sell and was opposed to the opening of the Northwest Territory. This put Virginia on her mettle and the South all sided with her. Dr. Cutler had come on to New York to lobby for the Northwest Territory. The South caught the inspiration and rallied around him. Massachusetts was in a peculiar situa- tion: she was opposed to the proposition but could not vote against it as many of her citizens were largely interested in the western purchase. Thus Dr. Cutler was able to command the situation. True to the convictions of his heart he dic- tated one of the most complete documents of good statesman- ship that has ever adorned our law-book. The important sec- tion were as follows — "l. The exclusion of slaver}^ forever from the Northwest Territory. "2. Provision for Public Schools. Section No. 16 in each township of thirty-six square miles will be retained and sold for the benefit of the Public Schools. "3. A provision prohibiting the adoption of any consti- tution or the enactment of any law that shall nullify pre-ex- PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. T5 isting- contracts. Be it forever remembered that this compact declares religion, morality and knowledge are necessar}' to good government and the happiness of mankind and there- fore schools and the means of education shall alwaj-s be en- couraged." Dr. Cutler planted himself squarely upon this platform and would not yield, giving his un(}uallified declaration that it was that or nothing. That unless the holders of the terri- tory could make the land desirable the) — the purchasers — did not want it. On the 13th day of July, 1787, the bill was put on its passage and was unanimously adopted. Thus the great states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, a mighty empire, were dedicated to freedom, in- telligence and morality. CHAPTER IV. The Northwest Territory Organized — Laws Govern- ing iT.^ — Governor St. Clair and the Indians — Mil- itia Established and Civil and Military Officers Appointed — Laws Adopted at Vincennes — Defeat of St. Clair's Army by Indians— General Wayne's Vic- tory Near the Maumee — First Territorial Legis- lature. On the fifth of October, 1787, Major General Arthur St> Clair was elected b)- Congress governor of the territor}- of the United States northwest of the River Ohio. By the first in- structions which Governor St. Clair received from Congress in 1788 he was authorized and directed — first, to examine carefull}^ into the real temper of the Indians. Second — To re- move, if possible, all cause of controversy so that peace and. harmony might be established between the United States and the Indian tribes. Third — To regulate trade among the In- dians. Fourth — To neglect no opportunity that might offer of extinguishing the Indian right to land westward as far as the River Mississippi and northward as far as the completion of the forty-first degree of north latitude. Fifth — To use ever}' possible endeavor to ascertain the names of the real head men and warriors of the several tribes and to attach these men to the United States by every possible means. Sixth — To make every exertion to defeat all confederations and combinations among the tribes and to conciliate the white people inhabitating the frontiers toward the Indians.. In the month of July, 1788 Governor St. Clair arrived at the new town of Marietta at the mouth of the Muskingum PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 77 river, where he beg-an to organize the g-overnment of the Northwest Territory in accordance with the provisions of the ordinance of 1787. At Marietta, in the county of Washing- ton before the close of the year 1788, the Governor and judges of the General Court of the Territor) — Samuel Hol- den Parsons, James Mitchel Varnum and John Cleave Simms, adopted and published various laws under the following titles: 1. A law for regulating and establishing the militia in the territory of the United States northwest of the River Ohio. 2. A law for establishing general courts of the peace of quarter sessions (and therein the powers of single justices); and for establishing county courts of common pleas (and therein of the power of single judges to hear and determine upon small debts and contracts); and also a law for estab- lishing the ofl&ce of sheriff and for the appointment of sher- iffs — Published on the 23d of August. 3. A law establishing a court of probate — Published on the 30th of August. 4. A law for fixing the terms of the general court of the territory of the United States, northwest of the River Ohio — Published on the 30th of August. This law was made in the following words — "The general court for the territory of the United States northwest of the River Ohio, shall hold pleas civil and criminal at four certain periods or terms in each and every year in such counties as the judges shall from time to time deem most con- ducive to the general good, they giving timely notice of the place of their sitting on the first Mon- days of February, May, October and December, pro- vided, however that but one term be held in any one county in a year, and all processes, civil and crim- inal, shall be returnable to said court wherever they may be in said territory. And as circumstances may so intervene as to prevent the session of the Court at the time and place fi.xed upon, it shall and may be lawful for the Court to adjourn from time to time b}' writ directed to the sheriff of the countv and to con- 78 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. tinue all processes accordingl)'; and in case neither of the judges shall attend at the time and place afore- said and no writ be received by the sheriff, it shall be his dut}' to adjourn the court from da}- to da}- dur- ing the first six da3"s of the term and then to the next term to which all processes shall be continued as aforesaid; provided, however, that all issues in fact shall be tried in the count}' where the case of action shall have risen." 5. A law respecting- oath of office. Published on the 2d of September. 6. A law respecting crimes and punishments. Pub- lished on the 6th of September. By this statute the crimes of treason, murder and houseburning in case where death en- sues from such burning, were respectivel}' punished by death. The crimes of burgalry and robber}- were punishable by whipping, not exceeding thirty-nine stripes; fine and im- prisonment for any term not exceeding forty years. For the crime of perjury the offender was punishable by a fine not ex- ceeding sixty dollars or whipping not exceeding thirty-nine lashes, disfranchisement and standing in the pillory for a space of time not exceeding two hours. Larceny was pun- ished by fine or whipping at the discretion of the court. If the convict could not pay the fine of the court it was lawful for the sheriff, by the direction of the court to bind such con- victs to labor for a term not exceeding seven years to any suiiable person who could pay such fines. Fo gery was pun- ishable by fine and disfranchisement and standing in the pil- lory for a space of lime not exceeding three hours. For drunkenne; s ihe law was as follows: — "if any person shall be convicied of drunken- ness befoie one or more justices of ihe peace, the per- son so convicted shall be fined for the first offense the sum of five dimes and for every succeeding offense upon conviction the sum of one dollar. In either case if the offender neglects or refuses to pay the fine, he shall be sei in ihe siocks for ihe space of one hour, provided, however, ihai complainis be made to the jusiice or justices within iwo days afier the offense shall have been committed. PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 79 "Whereas, idle, vain and and obscene conversa- tion; profane cursinjj- and swearin«i- and more especi- ally the irreverently mentioninj^', calling: ui>on, or in- vokinjif the sacred and Supreme Beinj; by any of the divine characters in which He has y^raciously conda- scended to reveal His intinhely beneficent purpose to mankind, are repuji:nant to every moral seniiment, subversive to every civil obliy-ation, inconsistent with the ornaments of polished life and abhorrent to the principles of the most benevolent relij^fion; "It is Expected, Therekoke, If crime of this kind should exist it will not find encouraj^-ement, countenance or approbation in this territory. It is strictly enjoined on all officers and ministers of jus- tice, upon parents and other heads of families and upon others of every description, thafthev abstain from practices so Vile and irrational and that b}' ex- ample and precept, to the utmost of their power, they prevent the necessity of adoptint^- and publish- ing laws with penalties upon this head. "And it is Hekeby Declared that the govern- ment will consider as unworth}' its confidence all those who may obstinately violate these injunctions. • "Whereas, mankind in every stage of informed society has consecrated certain portions of time to the particular cultivation of social virtues and the public adoration and worship of the Common Parent of the Universe, and whereas a practice so rational* in itself and conformable to the divine precepts is greatly conducive to civilization as well as to moral- ity and piety; and whereas for the advancement of such imi)ortant and interesting purpose, most of the Christian world has set apart the first day of the week as a day of rest from common labor a id pursuits; "It is Hereby Therefore Enjjined that all servile labor, works of necessity and charity only ex- cepted, be wholly abstained from on said day." 7. A law regulating mariages. The ihird e.iion of this law was as follows: "Previously to persons being joined in marriage as aforesaid, the intention of the parties shall be made known by the puldishing of ihe same for the space of fifteen days at the least, either by the same being publicly and openly declared three several Sun- *S0 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. days, holy day days or other days of public worship in the meeting- in the towns where the parties res- pectively belong- or by publication in writing under the hands and seal of one of the judges before men- tioned or of a justice of the peace within the county, to be affixed in some public place in the town where- in the parties respectively dwell or a license shall be obtained of the Governor under his hand and seal, authorizing the marriage of the parties without pub- lication as is in this law before required." 8. A law in addition to a law entitled — "A law for reg-ulating- and establishing the militia in the territory of the River Ohio." Published on the 23rd of November. 9. A law appointing coroners. Published on the 21st of December. 10. A law limiting the time of commencing civil action and instituting criminal prosecutions. After the session of the court of Marietta was concluded and the laws for the government of the Territory passed, Governor St. Clair, accompanied by the judges, made a visit to the western part of his Territory for the purpose of organ- izing a civil government. Before this he had sent instruc- tions to Major Hamtramck, the Commander at Vincennes, directing him, through the agency of friendly Indians that were well known among the Piankashaws, to find out all he could about the Indian tribes along the Wabash. He accom- panied this instruction with a speech for each of the tribes which the Major sent to them by Antoine Gamelin, a French- man, as a special envoy who understood the language of nearly all the tribes of Indians on the Wabash. Gamelin's wife was the daughter of the head chief of the Ouiatenons and through that influence it was hoped that his mission would be successful. Gamelin visited many tribes of Indians and after friendly council with them, delivered the speeches. In his route he went as far eastward as the Miami village of Kekionga which stood where Ft. Wayne now stands. Gamelin's report will best show the disposition of the Indians toward the Ameri- cans. PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 81 "The first villa«j-e I arrived at," says Gamelin, "is called Kikapoujjuoi. The name of the chief of this village is called Les Jambes Croches. He and hi-s tribe have a good heart and accepted the si)eech. The second village is a,t the River Vermillion, called Piankashaw. The first chief and all the warriors were well pleased with th^ speech concerning peace but they said they coukl not give i)resently a proper answer, before they consulted the Miami nation, their eldest brethren. They desired me to proceed to the Miami town, Kekionga, and when coming back let them know what recep- tion I got from them. The said head cliief told me that he thought the nations of the lake had a bad heart and were ill- disi)osed for the Americans and that the speeches would not be received particularly by the Shawnees at Miamitown. On the eleventh of April I reached a tribe of the Kickapoos. The head chief and all the warriors being assembled, I gave them two branches of white wampum, with the speeches of His Excellency, Arthur St. Clair, and those of Major Hamtramck. It must be observed that the speeches had been in another hand before mine. The messengers could not proceed further than the Vermillion on account of some private wrangle between the interpreter and some chief men of the tribes. Moreover someihing in the speech displeased them very much; it was that i>oriion included in the third article which says — 'I do now make you the offer of peace — accept it or reject it as you please." These words seemed to disi)lease all tribes to whom the first messenger was sent. They told me that they were menacing and finding that it might have a bad effect, I took it ui)()n myself to exclude ihem and after making some ai)ol- ogy they answered that they and their tribe were pleased with my si)eech and that I could go on without danger but they could not pre^enily give me an answer, having some warriors absent and without consulting the Ouiatenons, the}' being the owners of the land. They desired me to stop at Quiiepiconnae < Tippecanoe) saying that they would have the chief and warriors of the Ouiatenons and those of their na- tion as^embled there and I would receive a j^roper answer. They said that they expected by me a draught of milk from 82 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. the Great Chief and the commanding officer of the Post, to- put the old people in a good humor; also some powder and balls for the 3^oung- men for hunting- and to get some good broth for their women and children — that I should know a bearer of speeches should never be with empt^' hands. The}' promised to keep their 3'oung men from stealing and to send speeches to their nations in the prairies to do the same. "The 14th of April, the Ouiatenons and the Kickapoos were assembled. After m}' speech one of the head chiefs got up and told me — 'Oh Gamelin, m}' friend and son-in-law, we are pleased to see 3-ou in our village and to hear b)' _your mouth the good words of the Greac Chief. We thought to receive a few words from the French people but I see the con- trary. None but the Big Knife is sending speeches to us. You know that we can terminate nothing without the consent of our brethren, the Miamis. I invite you to proceed to their village and speak to them. There is one thing in your speech I do not like. I will not tell of it; even were I drunk I would perceive it but our elder brothers will certain!}- take notice of it in your speech. You invite us lO SLOp our 3'oung men. It is impossible to do it, they being constant!}' e.xouraged by the British.' Another chief arose and said — "The Americans are very flattering in their speeches. Many times our nation went to iheir rendezvous. I was once ir.yseif. Some of our chiefs died on the route and we always came back all naked and you, Gamelin, you come wuh speeches wi^h empty hand^.' Another one said to his young men — 'If v/e are poor an:! d essed in deer skins, it is our own fault. Our . .e ich traders are leaving our villages becau.^e you plunder the;n every day, and it is time for us lo have another conduct.' Still another one expressed himself as follows — Know ye that the village of Ouiatenon is the sepulcher c f (.-ur ances- tors? The chief of the Americans inviies us to go to him if we are for peace. He has not his leg broken, having been able to go as far as the Illinois. He might come here himself and we should be glad to see him at ou ; village. We confess that we accepted the ax but it is by the reproach we continually receive from the English and other nations, which receive the PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 83 ax first, calliiitr us women. At the present time they invite our youny: men to war. As toour old i)eople, they are wishing for peace.' They could not {^ive me an answer before they received advice from the Miamis, their elder brothers. *"On the 18ih of April I arrived at the River L'Anji^uille (Eel riv'er ), at a point five or six miles above the place where ii flows into the Wabash. The Indian villajre located there was near or where Logansport, Indiana, now is. The chief of the villa^'-e and those of war were not present. I explained the s])eech lo some of the tribes. They said they were well pleased, but could not give me an answer, their chief men be- ing absent. They desired me to stop at their village coming back. They sent with me one of their young men to hear the answer of their eldest brethren. On the 23d of April I arrived at the Miami town. The next day I goi the Miamis, the Shawnees and the Delawares all assembled. I gave to each naiioi iwo b-inches of wa npum 'x:v\ began ihe speeches, Oeiore me r rencn and English traders who were invited by the chiefs to be present, I having lokl ihem my- self that I should be glad to have them pre^tni since I had nothing to say against anybody. After ihe speeches I showed them the treaty concluded at Muskingum ( Ft. Har- mor ) between his Excellency, Governor St. Clair, and sundry nations. This displeased them. I lold them that the ])ur- pose at this present time was not to submit them to any con- ditions but to offer them the peace, which made their dis- pleasure disappear. The great chief told me thai he was pleased with the speech and cliat: he soon would give me an answer. In a j^rivate discourse w^itli him he told me not lo mind what the Shawnees would tell me, they having a bad heart and being the pertubators of all the nations. He said the Miamis had a bad name on account of mischief done on the River Ohio but he told me it was not occasioned by his young men, but by the Shawnees. his young men having only gone for a hunt. "On the 2.=ith of Ai)ril. Blue Jacket, chief warrior of the Shawnees, invited me to go to his house and there said tc) me — "Mv friend, bv the name and consent of the Shawnees and 84 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. and Delawares, I will speak to 30U. We are all sensible of 3"0iir speech and pleased with it but, after consultation, we cannot g^ive 5'ou an answer without hearing- from our Father at Detroit and we are determined to grive j-ou back the two branches of wampum and to send 3'ou to Detroit to see and hear the chief or to sta}' here twent}- nig-hts to receive his answer. From all quarters we receive speeches from the Americans and no two are alike. We suppose that thev in- tend to deceive us. Then take back 3'our branches of wampum.' "The 26th of April live Pottawattomies arrived here wiih two negfro men whom they sold to Eng-liah traders. The next da}' I went to the g-reat chief of the Miamis, called Le- Gris. his chief warriers also being present with him. I told him how I had been served by the Shawnees. He answered me that he had heard of it and said that nation behaved contrary to his intention. He desired me not to mind tho.-e strangers and that he would soon g^ive me a pcsiiive answer. "The 28th of April the g-reat chief desired me to call at the French traders and receive nis answer. 'Don't take bad,' said he, 'of what I am to tell you. You may g-o back when 3"OU please. V/e cannot give 3-0U a positive answer. We must send 3'our speech to all our neig-hbors and to the lake nations. We cannot give a detinite answer without constilt- ing the commandant at Detroit.' He desired me to render him the two branches of wampum refused b3' the Shawnees; also a cop3' of speeches in writing. He promised me that in thirt3' nights he would send an answer to Post Vincennes bv a young man of each nation. He was well pleased with the speeches and said thev were wortli3' of attention and should be communicated to all their confederates, being resolved among them not to do anything without an unanimous con- sent. I agreed to his request and rendered him the two branches of wampum and a cop3' of the speech. Afterward he told me that the live nations so called or the Iroquois were training for something; that five of them and three Wyan- dottes were in this village with branches of waminim. He could not tell me presentl3' their purpose but he said I wovild know of it verv soon. PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 85 "The sumo day Blue Jacket i.ivited me to liis house for supper and before the other chiefs told me that, after another deliberation, the\- thoujfht necessary that I should go my- self to Detroit to see the commandant who would j>:et all his children assembled to hear my si)eecli. I told them I would not answer them in the nij^^ht — that I was not ashamed to speak to them before the svin. "On the 2*>ih of April I jjfot them all assembled. I told tilt in I was not to go to Detroii; that the speeches were di- rected to the nations of the River Wabash and the Miami and to prove the sincerity of the speeches an.l ihe ht*ari of Gover- nor St. Clair I had willinj^ly gfiren a copy of ihe speeches to be shown to the coniniandanL of Detroit and accordinj^- to a lener written by the commandant of jJetroit lO ihe Miamis, Shawnees and i^elawares mentioning to ihem to be peaceable with the Americans. I would «^o to the commandant very willinj^ly if it were in my direction bein.ij: sensible of his sen- timents. I told them I had nothin«^ lo say to the command- ant, neither he to rne, and that they must immediately resolve if they intended to take me to Detroit or else I would g-o back as soon as possible. Blue Jacket g^ot up and told me, 'A*^ friend, we are well pleased with whai you say. Our intention : lot to force you to go lo Detroit; it was only a proposal, think- ing it for ihe best. Our answer is the same as the Mia'mis. We will send in thirty nij^hls a full and positive answer by a young- man of each nation by writing, to Post V'incennes.' "In the evening Blue Jacket, having taken me to supper with him, told me in a private manner that the Shawnee na- tion was in doubt of the sincerity of the Big Knives, having been already deceived by them. That they had first des- troyed their lands, put out their tires and sent away their young men, being a-hunting-, without a mouthful of meat; also had taken away their women, wherefore many of them would, with a great deal of pain, forget these affronts. More- over that some Other nations were apprehending that offers of peace would maybe tend to take away, by degrees, their lands and would serve them as they did before. A certain proof that thev intended to encroach on their lands was their new 8h PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. settlement on the Ohio. If ihey didn't keep this side of the Ohio clear, it would never be proper, reconcilement with the nations. Shawnees, Iroquois. W3'andottes and perhaps man)' others. Lej>:ris, chief of the Miamis. asked me in private dis- course what chief had made treaty with the Americans at Muskinofum ( Ft. Harmon ;. I answered him that their names were mentioned in the treaty. He told me he had heard of it some time ago but that the}' were not chiefs nor delejifates who made that treaty; they were only young men who, with- out authority and instructions from their chiefs, had con- cluded that treaty which would not be approved. They had gone to the treat}' clandestinely and they intended to make mention of it in the next council to be held. "The 2nd of May, I came back to the L'Anguille. One of the chief men of the tribe being witness of the council at Miamitown, repeated the whole to them and whereas the lirst chief was absent, they said they could not for the present time, give answer but that they were willing to join their speech to those of their eldest brethien. 'To give you proof of an open heart,' they said, 'we let you know that one of our chiefs has gone to war on the Americans but it was before we heard of you for certain they would not have gone hiiher.' They also told me that a few days after I i^assed their village, seventy warriors, Chippewas and Ottawas from Michilimaci- nac arrived there. Some of them were Pottawatiomies who, meeting on their route the Chippewas and Ottawas, joined them. 'We told them,' they said, "we heard oy you — that your speech is fair and true. We could noi stop uhem from going to w^ar. The Pottawattomies told us that as the Chippewas and Ottawas were more numerous than they they were forced to follow them.' "On the 3d of May I got to the Weas. They told me that they were waiting for an answer from their eldest brethren. 'We approve very much our brethren for not to give a definite answer without informing of it all the lake nations. Detroit was the place where the tire was lighted, then it ought first to be put out there. The English commandant is our father since he threw down our French PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 87 father. We could do nothinj^- without his ai)i)rol)ation.' "The 4ih of May I arrived ot the villayfe of the Kicka- poos. The chief presenting- me two branches of wampum, black and white said — 'My son, we cannot stop our young- men from going to war. Every day some set off clandestinely for that purpose. After such behavior from our young- men we are ashamed to say to the great chief of the Illinois and of the Post Vincennes that we are busy about some good af- fairs for the reconcilement, but be persuaded that we will speak to them continually concerning the peace and when our eldest brethren will have sent their answer, we will join ours to it. "The 5th of May I arrived at Vermillion, I found no- body but two chiefs. All the rest were gone a-hunting. They told me they had nothing else to say." In a despatch from Post Vincennes May 22d, 1790, Major Hamtramck says — 'T enclose the proceedings of Mr. Gamelin by which Your Ex- cellenc}' can have no great hopes of bringing the Indians to peace wath the United States, Gamelin arrived on the 8th of May and on the 11th some merchants arrived and informed me that as soon as Gamelin had passed their village on his return, all the Indians had gone to war; that a large party of Indians from Michilimacinac and some Pottawattomies had g-one to Kentucky and that three days after Gamelin had left the Miami village, Kekionga, an American was brought there, scalped and burned at the stake." The great reason that *the French and afterwards the English, were so successful in dealing- with the Indians and attaching them so firmly as their allies, was that they dealt ■v\'ith them as a parent would with a child, g-iving them many presents and humoring their whims. This was pleasing to the Indians but after a time it became very expensive. As a French writer puts it — "These importunities of gifts for everything that they saw or could think of, grew on the Ind- ians and it became so expensive that it was a question whether their friendship was worth the great trouble and expense," The free sons of fair America, who were the best blood of man}' foreign nations, knew no way to transact business 88 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. with the aborigines but b}- the rules of business that would g-overu the transaction of one people with another, con- sequently the}' were not successful in their attempts to treat with the Indians who had been pampered and spoiled b}' the French and English nations to hold their friendship. In ever}' attempt that the American made to treat with the In- dians for friendship or concessions of territor_y the}' were met with the taunt that they were not like ihe French and Eng- lish, who always commenced such proceedings with a large gift of many articles useful to the Indians; that this made their hearts glad and that the American always came with empty hands. Major Gladwin, the British commandant at Detroit, had an experience with Pontiac and his confederaied bands which, is described by him in a private letter to a friend — "The Indians under Pontiac have been so domi- neering over the French and have become so exacting that when my commissioner made oveiiuies for an alliance of peace and friendship, he was rejected. They gave as a reason for not making the treaty that when their great Father, the i^'rench King, wanted any special^favor he gave his red biethven a ship load of goods of all kinds for the Indians' com- fort; that the English now wanted them to forsake their allegiance to their great Father, the King of France, and give it to them; for this they should at least offer them three ship-loads of guns, powder, lead, blankets, clothing of till kinds and many ar- ticles for decoraiing their body to expect them to grant such a great favor." Governor St. Clair was at Kaskaskia when he received Gamelin's report which satisfied him that there was no prospect of peace with the Wabash Indians. He sent the secretar}' of the Northwest Territory, Winthrop Sargent, to Vincennes and directed him to lay out Knox county and establish the mil- itia and appoint necessary civil and military officers. Mr. Sargent proceeded to Vincennes where he organized the camp of Knox, appointed the necessary civil and military officers and gave notice to the inhabitants to present their claims to PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. S*) titles of land whicli was found to he a very difficult proposi- tion. In his report to the i)resident he said — "The lands and lots which were awarded appear from the evidence, to belonj>- to those persons to whom they were awarded, eiiher by jjfrants. purchase or inheritarce. but there are very few titles which are comi)lete owinjif to the very loose way that j)ub- lic business has been carried on. The concessions by the French and British commandants are made on small scraps of ]>a]ier which are loosely kejit in the Notary's office; but the fewest number of these concessions are in a l)ook of record." The most important land transactions were often found scrawleil down on a loose sheet of pai)er in ver}- bad French and worse Engflish. Three-fourths of the names were made with marks without beiny: attested by a notary or any one else. Manv of these claimants at the jwst of Vincennes had been occupyin«.r the land on which iheir houses were built for {^fenerations and the only evidence of their having any claim to it would all be recorded on a piece of paper not any too lar*ie for a tarj^^et in a shooiing match. Mr. Sarj^ent said that there were about one hundred and lifty families in Vin- cennes in 17*K). The heads of these families had at some time had a title to a ponion of ihe soil which liile he had si)ent weeks in tryin»jf to straighten out. While he was bus}' with these claims he received a jieiiiion si«;;ned by eij^fhiy Americans askinj^ for confirmation of ihe grants of land ceded by the court which had been organi;ced by Col. John Todd under the authority of Virginia. Congress of the 3rd of March. 17"'l, authorised the gov- ernor of the territory in all case.> where ihe imi)rovenienis had been made, under a sujji'ostd title for the same, to confirm the persons who made such improvements on the land sup- posed to have been granted, not to exceed in (iuan,tity four hundred acres to one person. In 1790 a session of court was held in Vincennes at which Wihthrop Sargent, Acting Gov- ernor, presided and the following laws were adopted. 1. An act prohibiting the giving or selling of intoxicat- ihg liquors to Indians residing in or coming into the territory' 90 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. of the United States northwest of the River Ohio and for pre- venting- foreigners from trading- with the Indians. 2. An act prohibiting the sale of spirituous or other in- toxicating liquors to soldiers in the service of the United States, being- within ten miles of any militar}- post within the territor}' of the United States northwest of the River Ohio and to prevent the selling or pawning- of arms, ammuni- tion, clothing and accoutrements. 3. An act for suppressing- and prohibiting- every species of gaming for money or other property and for making void contracts and payments made in consequence thereof; and for restraining the disorderly practice of discharg-ing- arms at certain hours and places. ."Post Vincennes, July 3, 17*K). "To the Honorable Winthrop Sargent, Esq., Secre- tary in and for the territory of the United States northwest the River Ohio and vested with all the powers of governor and commander-in-chief: "Sir:- As 3'ou have g-iven verbal orders to the magis- trates who formerly composed the court of the dis- trict of Post Vincennes under the jurisdiction of the state of V^irg-inia, to g-ive 3'ou their reasons for hav- ing taken upon them to grant concessions for the lands within the district, in obedience thereto, we beg leave to inform you that their principal reason is that, since the establishment of this country, the commandants have always appeared to be vested with the power to give lands. Their founder, Mr. Vin- cennes, began to give concessions and all his succes- sors have given lands and lots. Mr. Legras was ap- pointed commandant of Post V^incennes b}" the lieu- tenant of the connt}^ — John Todd who was, in the year 1779, sent by the state of V^irginia to regulate the government of the country and who substituted Mr. Legras with his power. In his absence Mr. Le- gras. who was then commandant, assumed that he had in quality of commandant authority to give lands' according to the ancient usages of other com- mandants; and he verbally informed the court of Post Vincennes that when they would judge it proper to give lands or lots to those who should come into the Territory to settle, or otherwise, they might do it; and that he gave them permission to do so. PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 01 "These are the reasons ihat we acied ujion and if we have done more than we ouji'ht. ii was on account of ihe liiile kiiowledy^e we had of public aifairs." F. BossERON Pip:kkk Gamelin his L. Edeline Pierre (X; Querez mark While in Vincennes in 1790 Mr. Sarjjent received an ad- dress from the leading citizens as follows: "The citizens of the town of Vincennes approach you. Sir, lo express as well iheir personal respects for your honor as a full approbation of the measures you have been pleased to pursue in reres- ident. "Willi ihe warnifst wishes for the prosperity ami welfare of Vincennes. I have the honor to be, j^en- tlemen, Your obedient, humble servant, WiNTHROP Sargent." Durin<^ most of the years 17">0 and 17'>1, (rovernerSt. Clair was very busy with the military alTairs of the territory. The civil aflfairs were turned over to Winthrop Sarjj^ent and he was yfiven authority of acting- g-overnor. St. Clair then determined to return to Ft. Washington where General Har- mor was stationed and consult with him as to the expedienc}' of sending- expeditions against the hostile Indians. When he arrived at Ft. Washington from Kaskaskia. after a consulta- tian with his military leaders, they deiermined to send a strong deiachment against the Indians located on ihe head waters of the Wabash. At ihiit time the United Slates troops in ihe northwest were but little over four hundred ef- fective men. A i)art of the miliia designed to act wiih the troops on these expeditions there was about three hundred from Virginia, that rendezvoused at Fori ^Meuben and with the jfarrison of that station marched to \u cennes and were joined to the forces of Major Hamiramck who was authorized to enlist what niilita he could at Post Vincennes. \^'lLll this force he rrarched ui> tlu- \\;ibash river. h;:ving ordtis lo at- tack any Inclians that he miglu find with which his force was strong enough to engage. The governor had the authority of the president to call on the state of \'irginia for one thous- and troo]>s and Pennsylvania for live hundred. These troops, less the three hundred Virgfinians that went with Hamtramck, assembled at Ft. Wasiiington add were joined to the regular troops at that station. On the last of September (.over. .or Si. Clair, in obedi- ence to instructions from the president t.>f ihe united Sunes, 94 PIONEE'^ HISTORY OF INDIANA. sent the following- letter to the British Cominindani at Detroit: "Marietta, September 1*>, 1790. Sir- As it is not improbable on account of the military preparations going forward in this quaner of the country may reach 3'ou and give you some uneasiness, while the object to which they are directed in not perfectly known, I am commanded b}' the president of ihe United States to give you the full assurance that pacific dispositions are entertained toward Great Britain and all her possessions; and lO inform you explicitly that the expediiion about to be UiidertaKen is not intended against the Post you have the honor to command nor an}' other place at present in the possession of the British troops of his Majesty; but is on foot with the sole design of humbling and chastising some of the savage tribes whose depreda- tions are becoming inioleraole and whose cruelties have, of late, become an outrage, not on the people of America only, but on humanity; which I now do in the most unequivocal manner. "After this candid explanation, Sir, there is every reason to expect both from 3'our own personal char- acter and from the regard you have for that of your nation that those tribes will meet with neither count- enance nor assistance from any under your command; and ihat you will do what in your power lies to res- train the trading people from those instigations, from which there is g^ood reason to believe much of the injuries committed b}" the savage has proceeded. "I have forwarded this letter by a private gentle- man in preference to an ofticer by whom you might have expected a communicadon of this kind, that every suspicion of the pULiiy of the views of the United States, might be obviated." Gejieral Harmer left Ft. Washington on September 30th, with an army of fourteen hundied men arrived at Maumee Octobor 17th then commenced tlie work of chastising the Indians but mei with misfortunes that were more injurious to the American than were harmful ro the Indians. The savages received a se\-ere chastisement but the militia be- PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 95 haved so badly that it was of hut little service. The detach- ment of three hundred and forty militia and sixty re^'-ulars, under the command of Colonel Hardin, were badly defeated on the Maumee October 32d. On the next day the army took up its line of march for Ft. Woshinjjfton which place they reached November 4th, havin^j lost in the expedition one hundred and eiji-hty-ihree killed and thirty-one wounded. During- the progress of this expedition. Major Hamtrarack marched up ihe VVabash as far as the Vermilion river, des- troying- several deserted villages without finding any enemy to oppose him. He then returned to Vince.ines. The savages were badly punished by these expeditions yet they refused to sue for peace and continued hostile. On March <)th, 1791. General Henry Knjx, Secretary of War, sent a letter of instructions to Gener il Scott in Ken- tucky, recommending an expedition of mounted men, not to exceed seven hundred and fifty against the Wea towns along- the Wabash. Wiih this force. General Scott crossed the Ohio river May 23d, 17'>1, reached the Wabash in about ten days. Many of ihe Indians, having di>.covered his approach deserted their villages but he succeeded in destroying- all the villages around Ouiatenon together with -.everal Kickapoo towiis, killed ihirty-five warriors and took sixty-one prisoners. Releasing a few of his ag-ed priso.iers he .rave ihein a talk and asked ihem to carry ii lo ihe towns fariher up the Wabash and to the country of the Maumee. Owing to the disabled condition of his horses he was unable lo go farther. In March, 17'K, Congress provided forrjusing an'; equip- l)ing a re^imeni for ihe projection of the f/oniie s and gov- ernor St. Clair was placed in command of something- more thr'n ihree thousand troops, son^e of ihtm yei lo be raised and all of them to be employed in quelling ihe Indians in the Northwest Territory. He was instrucied by ihe Secretary of War to march lo the Miami village. Kekionga and to estab- lish a permanent military post there and such posis elsewhere throughout his territory as would be in communicaiion wiih Ft. Washington. The post at the Miami village was to be of such strength as lO hold the savage in thai neighborhood 96 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. in check; also to afford shelter for live or six hundred men in case of an emerg-enc_v. The Secretar}- of War urged St. Clair to establish that post as the most important part of his cam- paig-n. As in previous treaties, the Indians were to be con- ciliated, every inducement being- offered to them to cease their hostilities. Said the Secretary- of War — ''Having com- menced your march upon the expedition, and the Indians continuing hostile, you will use every possible exertion to make ihem feel the effects of your superiority and after hav- ing arrived ai the Miami village and put your works in a de- fensible state, you will seek the enemy with vour remaining force and endeavor to strike them with great severity. In order to avoid future wars, it might be proper to make the Wabash and thence over the ^Maumee and down the same to its mouth on Lake Erie, the boundary between the people of the United States and the Indians (except so far as the same would relate to the W3"andotts and the*Delawaresj on suppo- sition that they will remain faithful to their treaties, but if thev should join in war against the United States and your arni)^ should be victorious, the said tribes should be removed without the boundar}- mentioned." Before starting on the march with the main force to the Miami town, Governor St. Clair, June 25th, 1791, authorized General Wilkinson to conduct an expedition with not more than live hundred mounted men, to the Indian villages on the Wabash. Accordingly, General Wilkinson, on July 20th, with his mounted men well armed and with provision for thirty days, marched and reached the'Kenapacomaqua village on the north bank of Ji,el river, (now Cass coLi:iLy, Indiana, j six miles above its mouih where, on Augusi /ih. he killed six warriors and took thirty-four prisoners. This town, which was scattered along the river for three miles, was to- tally destroyed and Wilkinson and his command encamped on its ruins. The next day he comaienced his march upon the Kickapoo town on the prairie which he was unable to reach, owing to the impossible condition of the route he had taken and the condition his horses were in. In making his report he estimated the results of the ex- PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 97 pedition as follows: He had destroyed the chief town of the Ouiatenon nation and made prisoners of the son and sisters of the King-. He had burned a respectable Kickapoo village and cut down four hundred acres of corn, mostl_v in the milk. There is no doubt that these expeditions of Hamtramck, Harmor, Scott and Wilkinson seriously damaged the Indians but they were not subdued. They regarded the policy of the United States as calculated to exterminate them and the Eng- lish at Detroit urged them on. The3' were excited by the loss in former expedition and the tales of woe told them by the British traders, to such a degree that they were desperate. As has been before stated at that time the British govern- ment still had garrisons at Niagara, Detroit and Michilimack- inac, although it was declared in the second article of the def- inite treaty of peace in 1783 that the king of Great Britain would, with all convenient speed and without causing anj' destruction or carrying away an}- negroes or property' of the American inhabitants, withdraw all his forces from the gar- risons and his fleet from the United States and from every post, place and harbor within the same. That treaty also provided that the creditors on either side should meet with no lawful impediment to the recovery of the full value in sterling mone)' of all bonafide debts previousl)' contracted. The British government contended that the United States had broken faith in this particular understanding of the treat)' and in consequence refused to withdraw its forces from the territory. The British garrison in the lake region was a source of much annoyance as they offered succor to the hos- tile Indians and encouraged them in making raids among the Americans. This state of affairs in the territory northwest of the Ohio continued from the commencement of the Revo- lutionary War to 1796 when, under a second treaty, all British soldiers were withdrawn from the country. In September, 1791, St. Clair moved from Ft. Washing- ton with about two thousand men. On the 3rd of November the main army consisting of about fourteen hundred effective troops moved forward to the head waters Of the Wabash where Fort Recoverv was afterward erected. Here the armv 98 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. encamped. At this time the Little Turtle, Blue Jacket and Buckong-ehelas and other Indian chiefs were secreted a few miles distant with a large force of Indians waiting for a fav- orable opportunit}' to bring on an attack. This the}' com- menced on the morning- of the 4th of November a little while before sunrise. The attack was first made upon the militia which gave way. St. Clair was defeated and returned to Ft. Washington with a broken and dispirited army, having lost thirty-nine officers and five hundred and forty men, killed and missing and having twenty-two officers and two hundred and thirty-five men wounded. St. Clair lost several pieces of artil- lery and all his ammunition, provision and baggage were left on the ground. One of the sad features of this terrible disaster was the loss of more than two hundred women who had followed their husbands, brothers and fathers on this campaign, expecting to settle with them in some of the fine countr}" that would be reclaimed from the Indians. Over the most terrible fate that awaited and was meted out to these unfortunate women it is best to draw the veil. The Indians, in this battle, manifested the most fiendish and cruel brutal- it}' to the dead and dying Americans. Believing that the whites had made war for man}- years for the sole purpose of acquiring land, the)' thrust great chunks of dirt into the mouths and the great gashes cut in the cheeks of the dying and dead soldiers. The defeat of St. Clair's arm}- was a severe blow to the Northwest Territory and retarded the settlement of the mid- dle and western part of that territory for many years. The Indians, owing to the very easy victor}'*which the}' had gained over the Americans, whose army was almost twice as large as theirs, determinedly organized many raids which they sent into the thinly settled region of the Northwest Territory, Kentucky and on the borders of V^irginia. There was so much destruction wrought by the Indians that many families who had come to the settled stations around the Ohio Falls and at Ft. Washington, moved farther back to Kentucky and Virginia. Some military critics were very severe and out- spoken in censuring General St. Clair, though this was prob- PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 99 ably very unjust. Tlie main reason of his defeat was that a larg'e portion of his army had been hastily jjfathered together and many of them were from the thickly settled sections of Virginia and Pennsylvania where they had had no experi- ence in Indian warfare and owing to ihe hurried disposition of the troops before the commencement of the main eampaign, they had had but little opportunity to receive military train- ing or discipline; also a portion of the new levies were com- manded by officers who had no military experience. General St. Clair was an old man and had been very successful and efficient during the seven long years of the Revolution. When he was chosen to the important position of Governor of the Northwest Territory, he was a member of Congress and was president of that body. After the return of the defeated army to Ft. Washington, St. Clair resigned his position of Major General in the United States army but retained the governorship of the Northwest Territory to which he gave all of his time. To the vacancy made in the army roll by the resignation of St. Clair, General Anthony Wayne (more familiarly known as "Mad Anthony") was promoted. General Wayne was an old officer and had won a very enviable reputation during the long struggle for lib- erty. On taking command he at once moved to Ft. Pitt (Pittsburg, Penn.) In 17*^2 the government of United States determined to reorganize and place a large army in the field for the purpose of subduing the hostile Indians in the Northwest Territory and General Wayne set about pr-eparing, drilling and equipp- ing the army that he had gathered about him for the purpose of thoroughly chastising, defeating and destroying the In- dians who had defeated St. Clair's army and destroyed so many American soldiers and American women. During the rest of 17*>2 and up to October, 17*>3, Wayne remained at Ft. Pitt but on the latter date moved with his army to Ft. Washington where he remained the rest of that year and until July. 17'>4, preparing his army to be in the best con- dition for effective service, drilling them in a manner that they would be able to resist any of the known modes of In- 100 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. dian warfare. On July 26th Major General Scott with sixteen hundred mounted riflemen from Kentucky, joined the regular troops under Wayne at Ft, Washington and on the 28th of July the! combined army began its march for the Indian towns on the Maumee. Arriving at the mouth of the Auglaize, the}' erected Ft. Defiance and on August 15th they advanced toward the Brit- ish fort at the rapids near the Maumee. On the 20th, al- most within reach of the British guns the Americans gained a complete victory over the combined forces of the hostile Indians and a company of Detroit militia, amounting to sev- enty-eight men. The number of the enemy was estimated at two thousand against about nine hundred American troops ac- tuallyengaged. As soon as the action commenced, the Ameri- cans charged the Indians who abandoned themselves to flight and dispersed with terror and dismay. The Americans lost on this occasion thirtj'-three killed and one hundred wounded. The loss of the enemy was probably three times as great. Wayne remained on the field and in the vicinit}' for several days after the battle, burning the Indian towns and destro}'- ing their corn-field for many miles on both sides of the Mau- mee. The Indians retired from that section disheartened to the country far to the north. Wayne continued sending mes- sages to the Indians trying to persuade them to meet him and form a treaty. After this, for a time, there was a suspension .of hos- tilities and raids by the Indians, for from nearly every town in the Northwest Territory numbers of young hunters were engaged in that battle. Probably* the Indians never on the American continent had gathered together a more efficient army of two thousand men, commanded by some of their greatest leaders, Little Turtle, Blue Jacket, Buckongehelas and many other distinguished chiefs. Tecumseh, then in the first flush of his greatness commanded a troop of one hundred Indians on that field. They had chosen their battle field in a large territory of fallen timbers with an advance line of what we would now call skirmishers under two of their most successful war chiefs. The Indian** were so well PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 101 located that they had no doubt that they would gain a com- plete victory over Wayne's force. They had invited a num- ber of British officers and soldiers to occupy positions in sight of the field to see them annhilate the American array, but they had reckoned without their host. General Wayne had an army of four thousand men equipped and drilled that for efficiency and moral in that mode of warfare perhaps was never excelled on the American continent. It was com- manded by some of the most resolute and efficient officers who have honored the roll of fame among American heroes. As soon as the battle commenced a detachment was or- dered to charge both flanks of the Indian army and the centre and in a very short time it put them to precipitate flight. Not more than nine hundred of Wayne's men had an oppor- tunity to distinguish themselves in that battle. After the battle during the time that Wayne was in camp near the Maumee he and his staff with a large escort of cavalr}', made several trips of observation over the battle-field. During some of these trips the cavalcade was halted in front of the fort. This brought on such a spirited controversy between the commander of the British fort — Wm. Campbell — and Gen- eral Wayne that it seemed, at one time, as if a collision would be brought on between the British and American armies. About the middle of September, 1794, Wayne's army commenced its march toward the deserted Miami village and on the following day arrived there and selected a site for a new fort named Ft. Wayne.' The fort was completed near the last of November and garrisoned by five hundred and fifty-eight men and officers, infantry and artillery, under the command of Colonel John F. Hamtramck. After this Wayne resumed his march. Arriving at Greenville he took up his headquarters there for the winter and remained there most of the summer of 1795. During all the time between the battle ane up to August of the next year Wayne had his scouts in- terpreters and trusted men among the Indians, trying to get them to meet him at Greenville for the purpose of making a general treaty of peace with all the hostile Indians of the 102 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. Northwest Territor}' and about the middle of August he suc- ceeded in the attempt. At that treaty a concession of a large amount of land on the Ohio, Sioto and Miami rivers was made the United States by the Indians. By this concession, commencing- at a point on the eastern Ohio line near where Ft. Recover}' was erect- ed, a line was run to the south coming to the Ohio river at a point opposite the mouth of the Kentucky river. This small strip of land was the first real concession made by general treaty with the Indians that is located in the state of Indiana. After the conclusion of these treaties there was a period of rest for the pioneers as the Indians, for some 3'ears after- ward, were a little sh}' of making war on the frontiers. Dur- ing that period there was a great influx of settlers into Onio around Marietta, Ft. Washington and at points in the terri- tory of the Ohio Land Company; also there was a great im- petus given to emigration into the state of Ketuck}'. around the Ohio Falls, Louisville on the north side of the river at Clarksville and in the territory set off for the officers and soldiers of General Clark's arm}'. Outside of these settle- ments in Indiana Territory, there was no emigration to any part of it except an occasional fool-hardy, restless pioneer who would locate at some point in the wilderness. The territory that is now Indiana, for some time after 1800 all belonged to the Indians, except the small strip granted by the Greenville treaty, the territory of Clark's grant and a section of land around Vincennes granted by the Piankashaw Indians. The government of the United States had repeatedly warned its oflicers at the different stations in the territory not to permitt any settlements to be made until the land was acquired from the Indians. In 1795 a treaty with Spain was made by the United States which secured the free navigatin of the Mississippi river. After the treaty was signed and the people on the borders of the Alleghany mountains knew of it, a large num- ber of emigrants came to the Northwest Territory. Most of them settled at various points in what soon afterward became the state of Ohio. PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 103 In 17% the British evacuated Detroit and the United States forces occupied the territory. The post at Detrott was g-arrisoned by troops commanded b)' Captain Potter, sec- retary of the Northwest Territory. Winthrop Sarjjfent went to Detroit and orjjanized the county of Wayne, which in- cluded all that is now the state of Michigan, northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio. During that year settlements were made in many parts of Ohio. In the year 1798 nominations for representatives for the Territory took place and on the 4th of February, 1799, they convened at Losantville, now Cincinnati, which was then the capital of the territory, for the purpose of nominating- per- sons from whom the members of the legislature were to be chosen, in accordance with a previous ordinance. This nom- ination being made the assembly adjourned until the 16th of September, 1799. From those names the President selected as members of the council Henry Vanderburg- of Vincennes, Robert Oliver of Marietta, James Finley and Jacob Burnett of Cincinnati and David Vance of Vanceville. On the 16th of September the Territorial Legislature met and on the 24th the two houses were duly organized, Henry Vanderburg being elected president of the Council. The message of Governor St. Clair was addressed to the as- sembly and on the 13th of October that body elected William Henry Harrison as delegate to Congfress. He received eleven votes which was a majority of one over his opponent, Arthur St. Clair, Jr. The number of acts passed at this session and approved by the Governor was thirty-seven. The most important of those passed related to the militia and to taxa- tion. On the 19th of December the session of the first legis- lature in the west was closed and on the 30th of December the President nominated Captain William Byrd to the office of Secretary of the Territory, Vice William Henry Harrison, elected to Congress. In 1800 the Northwest Territory was divided. Ohio at that time was preparing- to form a state constitution. The division was made by commencing at the mouth of the Great Miami river, running thence north until that line intersects 104 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. the boundary line between the United States and Canada. The report of the committee for the division of the Terri- tory was accepted by Congress and in accordance with its sug-g-estion was approved May 7th. Among its provisions were these — "From and after July the 4th, 1800, all that part of the Northwest Territory which lies westward of the line from the mouth of the Miami river to the north, before mentioned, shall for the purpose of temporary government be known as Indiana Territory with headquartors of the same at Post Vincennes on the Wabash river." CHAPTER V. Prisoners Recaptured from the Indians — Terrible FIGHTING Around the Place Where Owensville, Indiana, now Stands. In 1792 James Greenwa}-, Thomas Do3-le and Stephen Murtree were soldiers in the United States service and were on duty at Vincennes under command of Major Hamtramck. During- the summer of that year their term of enlistment was out and they were given their discharges. They did not in- tend to go back into the service for a while so they determined to tit out a hunting and trapping outfit as in that early day there were but two kinds of employment in the Northwest Territory: one was soldiering and hunting Indians and the other was hunting game and trapping for furs. Securing two large Indian canoes with such things as were necessary for their use, they started down the Wabash intending to hunt and trap on that river and its tributaries. In the fall, as they were floating down the Wabash they came to a small island seven or eight miles south of the mouth of White river. Examining the island they found that it would be a good place to make a camp, so selecting a site giving them a good view up and down the river and both banks, they built a barracade suitable for defense and inside of that built a small cabin. There was a Frenchman with the pa-rty by the name of Pierre DeVan who looked after the camp and hunted in the neighborhood. He was a character in many ways and proved to be a hero of the first water. He had been much with the Indians and understood the language of several tribes. He had a great hatred for all Indians as they 106 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. had murdered his uncle who was the onl_v relative he had in this countr}-. The fall was spent in hunting bear and deer for their skins, the winter in trapping", During- the early winter the hunters had g-one down the river and while the Frenchman was roaming over the little island he saw an Indian canoe tied to the shore opposite the mouth of a creek on the west bank of the river. He slipped back and hid himself in a convenient place to see what went on. He didn't have long- to wait for an Indian was seen to rise up from back of a log- looking in ever}' direction for some time. Having- concluded that no one was there, the red man went into the camp and commenced loading- himself with the camping- outfit to take to his canoe and while in the midst of his act the Frenchman shot him. When the hunters returned and found the dead Indian the}' asked DeVau what made him kill the Indian and he answered: "Piankeshaw Indian a g-reat liar and if I no kill him he maybe kill me. If I let him g-o two months we all be killed." They very materially streng-thened their fortifica- tions and told the Frenchman to stay inside when they were g-one and to keep a g-ood look-out. They intended to stay on the island as long- as the water would let them as fur was much better late in the winter than in the early part. They caug-ht many beaver and it was the last of February before the water commenced to rise so as to cause them any alarm about their camp. They g-ot everything- in shape and loaded all their thing-s into their canoes and started for Vincennes where they sold their skins and purchased a g-ood supply of ammunition, salt and corn meal to take back with them when the water went down which was about the middle of April. When they reached the island ag-ain they found that the hig-h water had wrecked their fortifications and little cabin and they had to do their work all over ag-ain. After this was completed they found that all the g-ame had been driven out of the bottoms by the hig-h waters and they resolved to g-o to the hills on the east side of the river for a hunt. There was yet water in the little creek for their canoes PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 107 and they followed it upstream for several miles when it seemed to become a brushy pond. They left their canoes here and went in a southeasterly direction. They had to wade through shallow water for a Ion": distance before they got to hij^her land. Here they made a lire, dried their cloth- ing and prepared a temporary camp, aiming to stay until the ' had all the meat they wanted and had ac(iuainted themselves with the surrounding country, and it turned out they had no trouble in killing all the deer they could take care of. The next morning they all went to a place seen by one X)f them the day before, which he felt sure it was a regular bear den in a cave or hole in a bluff. While they were hunt- ing for the place they heard a loud, piercing scream not far away, coming, apparently, from a child. It was very loud at first but gradually grew weaker until it ceased. The hunt- ers were greatly startled and could not account for such a noise in this great wilderness. They hid in the bushes for a while waiting for further developments but did not see or hear anything more. They resolved to find out the cause of the screaming and. it was determined that Doyle should go first, the other two to keep him in sight and be governed by his motions. He crawled through the thick brush and when they were near a high bluff he signalled to the others to come to him. He had seen smoke and heard voices that he believed to be those of Indians. The smoke seemed to come from the eastern side of the bluffs and the)' determined to go farther around. Ad- vancing very carefully for two or three hundred feet they could see the fire and going still farther could see that there were several Indians around it and a little to one side a white man and woman were sitting on a log with their hands tied behind them. There were four Indians in view and the hunters each selected one to shoot at. After firing they de- termined they would reload their guns where they were and trust to luck for the outcome. They ali fired at once, killing two and fatall}- wounding another one that fell in the fire; the fourth one ran around the side of the blulf . After waiting awhile the hunters slipped to where the 108 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. prisoners were, cut the leather thongs they were bound with and finished the Indian who was kicking- and squirming in. the fire. Doyle determined to follow the other Indian and in a short time a shot was heard in the direction he had gone. Soon an Indian was seen running eighty or ninety yards away. The two hunters fired at him and he dropped his gun but kept on running. On going around the bluff in the di- rection Doyle had gone, they came upon his lifeless body, killed no doubt b}^ the Indian at whom they had just been shooting. The prisoners released were James Griscom and his wife, Rachel. The screaming heard by the hunters was little Mary Griscom, who the day before had a fall that had hurt her ankle so that she could not walk and had to be carried for several miles to where the camp was made. She was no better the morning the hunters found them and would hinder their time in marching, so the Indians resolved to kill her. One of them gathered her up and going to the top of the bluff threw her over to the bottom, many feet below, killing her. Griscom informed the hunters that there were three more Indians that had gone away with their guns, he sup- posed to hunt and that they might return at any time. They took the Indians' guns and hid them in the brush; then took Doyle's body around to the end of the bluff where the body of the little girl was and hastily put them in a crevice or shelf in the rock made by the action of running water and covered and wedged them in so that they would be safe from animals. After consulting together they resolved to avenge the death of the brave Doyle and little Mary by killing the other Indians if they should return. Murtree went back up the slope of the bluff to a point where he could see for some dis- tance around and also see where the fire was. The others dragged the dead Indians into the brush, then made up the fire and hid behind a screen of brush so they could have a view of the fire and of Murtree who was to signal to them when he saw anything of the Indians. They were in that PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 109 position about one hour when Murtree signalled them to be on the look out, pointing- to a position bej^ond the fire. In a short time two Indians came into a view with a deer on a pole with them. As they came near the fire they stopped and looked around for their comrades. At that moment Greenway and Griscom fired, killing one and breaking the thigh of the other, who fell but tried to drag himself, gun in hand to a log and was killed by Murtree. The hunters re- mained in their position for some time but the other Indian did not return. Fearing that the Indian wounded in the first battle would be able to find some other band of warriors and come back to his camp, and being told by Griscom that an Indian town they had come near the day before was not more than six miles south of them, they concluded to get away as soon as they could. Griscom also told them that another band of Indians with four prisoners had been with their party and had gone to the town. The band he was with would not go to the vil- lage but went around it. Gathering up such of the plunder stolen by the Indians as would be of use to them, and taking all the Indian guns, they went to their camp where they had eight deer killed the day before. It took a long time to load their canoes as they had to wade through the slush and water a long distance to get to them. It was late in the afternoon when they started for their island camp and after night when they arrived there. The next day they fixed up quarters for their new comers who were very grateful for being released from captivity but were very sad over the loss of their little Mary. Griscom gave this account of their capture: He. with his wife and little daughter seven years old; George Talbert and wife, a sister of Mrs. Griscom's and little boy five years old; Thomas West and wife; Uavtd Hope and wife; a brother James, 15 years old and a sister, Jane, 11 years old, had em- barked on a boat, which they fitted out near Wheeling. Va., for the mouth of the Ohio river. Mr. Hope had been there when a soldier. The river was in a good stage of water and the run most 110 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. of the wa3' had been ver}' pleasant, not requiring- much use of the oars. They saw nothing of Indians until a da}' after passing- the mouth of Green river. Late in the evening, three da3's before the}' were liberated by the hunters, they came to the head> of a large island and the current drew the boat into the channel on the north side. As soon as they were well into the schute they were fired on by a concealed foe on the north bank, killing Talberi and Mrs. West, se- verely injuring Hope and breaking Mrs. Hope's arm. They lay down in the bottom of the boat hoping that the current would carry them beyond the reach of ihe Indians" guns, but soon they were seen coming after them in two canoes. The boatmen fired at them, killing two and wounding another one. West was shot and fell overboard. Griscom, in his hurry, broke the lock of his gun and before he could ge; anoiher one the Indians were in the boat. They finished killing- Hope and his wife and Mrs. West, as they were badh' wounded and captured and tied the Other seven. The boat was soon landed and unloaded and the stores divided among the twent}' Indians capturing them. The prisoners were huddled together and la}' on the bank until the next morning- when they started on the trip northward. On the second evening-, coming to the edge of the Indian town before men- tioned, Mrs. Talbert, her little boy and the two Hope child- ren were taken by the Indians that stopped there. The Griscom famih' was taken around the town to the poii.t where the}- were liberated. The two hunters and Griscom had many consultations trying to form some plan to recap- ture Mrs. Talbert and the three children taken to the Indian town if they were still there. The_v finalh' took Pierre DeVan, the Frenchman, into the council and talked over man}' wa3-s to best accomplish the dangerous undertaking and, as the}- were brave men, decided that, come what would, they would make the attempt. The water had gone down until it was nearh' all out of the bottoms and the hunters made arrangements to go to the Indian town which, as they*- understood from Griscom, was twelve or fifteen miles away, at the same time intending to go PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. Ill by the bluff and bury Doyle and the little jjirl. They were in a quandary what to do with Mrs. Griscom, it being danj^erous to leave her at the camp as at any time Indians from their town on the Patoka or White river not far to the northeast, miofht came to the Island. She decided the question by informing- them that she intended to go as she had been raised on the frontier of Virginia where Indian raids and counter raids bj' whites were of frequent occurence and that she would not in any way be a hindrance to them — if need be using a rifle as well as the best. This being settled they decided to start earl}' the next morning. They marched along the bayou to the place where they had left their canoes on the other trip and thence to their camp of two weeks before. It was agreed that Murtree should make a reconnoissance of ihe surrounding neighborhood, going as far as the bluff. He was gone about an hour and reported everything as the}' had left it except that he didn't see the least trace of the five Indians they had killed and left there. He supposed their bodies had been carried aw^ay and eaten by bears, wolves or panthers as the conntr}' was full of them. The shelf where the two white people were placed was just as they had left it. They all went to that point, taking an axe and a wooden shovel that the)- had made for the occasion. After selecting a place for the grave and digging it, they un- covered the bodies, carried them to it and buried them side by side. Though the mother of little Mary was a brave woman, it was ver}- tr3'ing to her to thus give up her only child. It was necessary, however, not to waste time and so they were soon on the march again, Griscom leading the wa}-. He intended to go within about a mile of the town and then let Pierre DeVan, the Frenchman, go to the village in his full Indian dress, representing that he had been with four Indian hunters going to the Ohio river; that he had shot a deer and while following its trail had gotten lost from the party and failed to find them, his purpose being to find the number of men in the village and if he could, to see Mrs. Talbert and give her a word of their i)lan. Griscom, after finding a good hiding i)lace for the i^arty. 112 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. went with him near to the town. As they went he found a g-ood place for defense, not more than half a mile away to which he could bring- the rest of the party. He told DeVan that when he had accomplished his mission to come to this place. The party was moved up to the new position Griscom had found. It was after dark when DeVan came slipping- into camp and reported that there were eight or nine warriors and an old man who seemed to be the head and that he had seen the white woman and the boy but not the other children. The Indians seemed to want him to go away as they told him his friends were to the east. As there was a big creek he could not cross to the south but would have to goto the east quite a dis- tance, then south. While the old man and the warriors were in consultation he had a chance to sa)' onh^ two words in Eng- lish to Mrs. Talbert — "Friends near." She said nothing but looked at him as if she understood. The old man sent a 5"Oung Indian with him for about two miles east and put him in a trace that would take him to the creek where he could cross it. He went south far enough to feel sure that he was not watched, then turned into a thicket, waited for dark and came into camp. They all held a consultation and it was decided best not to attack the Indians as there were too many warriors, but to try and get Mrs. Talbert by stealth, if possible and not to at- tempt that until late in the night. Waiting until after eleven o'clock, DeVan, Murtree and Greenway started, the hunters intending to go near the edge of the town so that DeVan could have a point to come to if attacked. Then DeVan was to do his part in his own way. Everything was ver}- quiet for nearly an hour after the}' had taken their station. At that time three Indians came to the town and the)' must' have been bearers of bad news for soon there was great excitement among them. Two women were screaming and tearing their hair. It was fully two o'clock when ever3-thing was quiet again Soon the stillness was broken and a terrible noise raised by the snapping and snarling and howling of many PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 113 dogfs and the screaming' of a child, which raised a great com- motion among- the Indians. Soon the Frenchmen with the little boy in his arms and Mrs. Talbert after him came run- ning to where the two hunters were. The child was still moan- ing so loud that the Indians could tell the direction in which the}' had g-one. It was placed in its mother's arms and she did all she could to make it. keep still. DeV.an told the hunters it was best for them to take the woman and. child back to the others and for all of them to start north b}* the north star and leave him to check the Indians. The}' did this and it was bui a little w^hile until the crack of a rifle was heard, then everything became still. The party had been slipping away for some time when another rifle was heard but a little way to the rear. In a few moments DeVan came up with them and told them to go as they w^ere until just before day and to find a good place for defense, then stop at that place; that there were several Indians following them but he would keep them in check until daylight. Just at the break of day they came to a small creek where there was some large fallen timber that would make a good place for defense. Hurriedly piling logs between two large fall- en trees they made tw-o end walls which provided a fort that could not be successfully attacked unless the enemy had such numbers that they could carry it by storm. Soon another rifle shot was heard and this time a shot was fired at the blaze or flash of De Van's rifle. In a few minutes DeVan was seen and would have passed had not Murtree ran to him and brought him 'into the improvised fort. They kept a careful watch for the Indians and in a little while two were seen, half bent one behind the other, following the trail made by DeV^an. Green way and Murtree instantly fired on them. One fell and the other showed that he was hit but managed to get behind an obstruction. Another Indian rushed to the one shot down and dragged him out of sight, Le\'an shooting at him but missing him. After this, during all the day a sharp look-out was kept but no more Indians made their apjjcar- ance. ' The little boy who was hurt in the morning was suffering 114 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. very much. DeVan said that when he ran out of the Indian tepee with the child in his arms, on running- around it he ran into a dog- kennel where an old bitch had a litter of good- sized pups and such another fuss as they made he had never heard before and the old dog bit the child through the calf of the leg. In the evening- not long before sundown there was heard in the woods to the west of them the chattering of many squirrels, which was thought very probably to be caused by slipping Indians, and a very sharp look-out was kept in that direction. Just as the grey dusk of evening came on Mr. Griscom had his arm broken b)^ a shot that came from a tree not more than sixt)^ 3^ards away. The Indian had climbed up a little tree behind a larger one so that he could see over the log pile. When he shot he tried to get back of the large tree but in his hurry the small tree swayed so much with him that his body came into view from back of the large tree and DeVan shot him, his bod}' falling to the ground. After this ever3'thing became still and the hunters held a consultation to ag-ree on a plan to pursue. They could not form a correct idea of the number of Indians beseiging them nor were the}' certain that there were an}', but they thought, as they were encumbered with two women, the child and the wounded man, that they had better not run any more risk than was necessary. They agreed that they would remain where they were until the middle of the night and then at- tempt to go to the bluff. In the meantime DeV^an would be making a reconnoissance around the camp and along the route they were to g-o. After he had been gone a while the hooting of an owl was heard in the direction they had come that morning. After a little while it was repeated and soon it was answered not more than a hundred yards from where they were. DeVan returned and said that he was certain that ihe answer to his owl call was made by Indians and that they were but a little way off — that he had gone to the north, the way the little party would have lo go. for about three hundred yards and had not seen or heard anything, so they de- cided to get away. PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 115 Greenway, Murtree and Griscom and the women started to the north, DeVan asking- the privilejje of sta)'ing- in the n?ar. They had to travel ver}' slowl}- owing to the brush and fallen timber and had gone but a little way when a shot was heard and in a little time another, then two more in quick succession not more than two hundred yards behind them. They came to a large fallen tree and determined to stop and fight it out, but had just gotten into position when DeVan came up with them. He told them he thought it best for them to continue their march as he had fired at an Indian the first lime not more than fifteen feet away. The last shot he had fired was at an object about eighty yards away and that two shots were fired at the blaze of his gun, one of them splintering his g-un stock. He could not tell how many In- dians there were but there were too many for them with their small party. He said he thought he could keep them back but if he found that he could not he would come to them and they would find a place for defense. The women and hunters started again and had gone about half a mile when DeVan hurried up to them and told Griscom and the women to g^o as fast as the}' could for as much as a hundred yards and then to halloo and scream loudly for a little while and he and the other two men would get in- to a good position and wait for the Indians. They came to the forks of a good sized creek and soon had a good position. The hallooing and screaming were heard and as the}' expected, in three or four minutes six or seven Indians came came into view hurrying on to where the noise was made. All three of the men fired and killed two Indians, while the rest were heard running- away. One of the hunters brought the rest of the party back to their posi- tion and they all remained there until after daylight but saw no more Indians. At daylight they started again, this time leaving Green- way and Murtree to stay at the creek for a while to see if any Indians would follow, and having- DeVan pilot the party. They had gone but a little way when they came to objects familiar to Mr. Griscom and were soon at the south end of 116 PIONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. the bluff. In a short time the two hunters came up with them and the)^ went into their temporar}^ camp. Fortunatel)^ one of the party had killed a deer and some of it was soon prepared and ready to cook. After thus refreshing- them- selves, they went to their island home, from which they had been gone only three da)^s and two nig-hts but during- that time the}" had underdone enoug-h exciting eqperiences to last a lifetime. After the very exciting experiences that the three hunt- ers had gone through to liberate Mrs. Talbert and her child from ihe Indians they rested for several days in their com- fortable quarters at the island. Mrs. Talbert's little boy was ver3' ill for some time from the dog biie. Mr. Griscom's arm was ver}' sore, the ball having fractured his arm and it was several weeks healing. Mrs. Talbert said that the Indians who captured the boat at "Diamond Island" belonged to two banub, oiie of tiiem lo the town she was taken to "six miles south of Owensville," the other belonged to a much larger town farther north; and the reason the Indians who had Mrs. Griscom and family would not go into the town she was taken to was, that the two factions had a disagreement about the di- vision of prisoners and spoils taken at the boat and the}" were afraid the other Indians would take their prisoners away from them. She said that if the Indians that had her and her child had any knowledge of the Indians that were killed at the bluff, they never made it known to her. The Indians that came into the camp the night DeVan came after her were all that were left of ten from the town who at- tempted to capture another boat on the Ohio river and the women who were crying and tearing their hair were the wives of two of the Indians killed. She said that these tv/o women would have killed her and her child that night if the old chief and two other men had not ptotected her. She also said that the two Hope children were given to three Indians of one family who had helped capture the boat and were adopted by the mother to take the place of a boy and girl of hers who had died. A few days after Mrs. Talbert and her child had arrived i PJONEER HISTORY OF INDIANA. 117 at the Indian town, the three Indian liunters, the two white children and their Indian mother went away in canoes down the small river and were