Hamilton that hostilities should not commence until five minutes after the drums gave the alarm. At this they parted, but the British officer, after a moment's hesitation, turned about and politely inquired Colonel Clark's reasons for refusing the garrison on any other terms than an unconditional surrender. The latter explained at some length, but before completing his reply secretly resolved to change the conditions of his demands. He told Hamilton he would consider the matter and let him know the result at an early hour. In the course of the afternoon of the twenty-fourth, articles of capitulation were signed, and on the following day, at ten o'clock, the garrison was surrendered, and the bold, courageous Clark took possession of the fort. On the twenty-seventh the vessel with the stores and provisions arrived in good condition, and the Americans in Vincennes were rejoicing over their conquest.

ΟΝ

CHAPTER V.

CLARK'S MOVEMENTS AT VINCENNES.

N the day succeeding the occupation of Vincennes by Clark's forces, the irrepressible Colonel sent a detachment of sixty men up the river Wabash to intercept some boats laden with stores and provisions from Detroit. The detachment proceeded up the river in three armed boats about one hundred and twenty miles, when the British boats, seven in number, were surprised and captured without firing a gun. The English boats had on board about ten thousand pounds worth of goods and provisions, and were manned by about forty men. These were taken prisoners and the goods divided among the soldiers.

Having organized a military government in Vincennes, and appointed Captain Helm as commandant of the town, Colonel Clark returned in the vessel to Kaskaskia, where he was joined

y reinforcements from Kentucky, under Captain George. Meanwhile, a party of traders who were going to the falls, were killed and plundered by the Delawares of White river. The news of this disaster having reached Clark, he sent a dispatch to Captain Helm ordering him to make war on the Delawares, to use every means in his power to destroy them; to show no mercy to the men, but to save the women and children. This order was executed without delay. Their camps were attacked in every quarter where they could be found. Many fell and others were carried to Post Vincennes and put to death. The surviving Delawares at once pleaded for mercy, and appeared anxious to make some atonement for their bad conduct. To these overtures Captain Helm replied that Colonel Clark, the Big Knife, had ordered the war, and that he had no power to lay down the hatchet, but that he would suspend hostilities until a messenger could be sent to Kaskaskia. This was done, and the crafty Colonel, well understanding the Indian character, sent a message to the Delaware, telling them that he would not accept their friendship or treat with them for peace, but that if they could get some of the neighboring tribes to become responsible for their future conduct, he would discontinue the war and spare their lives; otherwise they must all perish.

A council was called of all the Indians in the neighborhood, and Clark's answer was read to the assembly. After due deliberation the Piankeshaws took on themselves to answer for the future good conduct of the Delawares, and the Grand Door, in a long speech, denounced their base conduct. This ended the war with the Delawares and secured the respect of the neighboring tribes. Clark's attention was next turned to the British post at Detroit, but being unable to obtain sufficient troops he abandoned the enterprise.

Colonel John Todd, the county lieutenant for the county of Illinois, in the spring of 1779, visited the old settlements at Vincennes and Kaskaskia, and organized temporary civil gov ernments in nearly all the settlements west of the Ohio. Previous to this movement Clark had established a military government at Kaskaskia and Vincennes, appointed com

mandants in both places, and taken up his headquarters at the falls of the Ohio, where he could watch the operations of the enemy and save the frontier settlements from the depredations of Indian warfare.

On reaching the settlements Colonel Todd issued a proclamation* regulating the settlement of unoccupied lands, and requiring the presentation of all claims to the lands settled. He also organized a court of civil and criminal jurisdiction at Vincennes in the month of June, 1779. This court was composed of several magistrates and presided over by Colonel J. M. P. Legras, who had been appointed commandant at Vincennes. Acting from the precedents established by the early French commandants in the west, this court began to grant tracts of land to the French and American inhabitants, and down to the year 1783, it had granted to different parties about twenty-six thousand acres of land. From this date down to 1787, when the practice of granting lands was prohibited by General Harmer, the quantity of land granted exceeded twenty-two thousand acres. The tracts granted were generally small, ranging from a small "house lot" to four and five hundred acres. But aside from the granting of these small tracts, the court entered into a stupendous speculationone not altogether creditable to its honor and dignity. The

ILLINOIS [COUNTY] TO WITWhereas, from the fertility and beautiful situation of the lands bordering upon the Mississippi, Ohio, Illinois, and Wabash rivers, the taking up of the usual quantity of land heretofore allowed for a settlement by the government of Virginia, would injure both the strength and commerce of this country; I do, therefore, issue this proclamation, strictly enjoining all persons whatsoever from making any new settlements upon the flat lands of the said rivers, or within one league of said lands, unless in manner and form of settlements as heretofore made by the French inhabitants, until further orders herein given. And, in order that all the claims to lands in said county may be fully 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 that purpose, a memorandum of his or her land, with copies of all their vouchers; and where vouchers have never been given, or are lost, such depositions or certificates as will tend to support their claims: the memorandum to mention the quart.ty of land, to whom originally granted, and when, - deducing the title through the various occupants to the present possessor. The number of adventurers who wi shortly overrun 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 fifteenth of June, in the third year of the commonwealth, 1779.

JOHN TODD, Jr,

commandant and magistrates over whom he presided, suddenly adopted the opinion that they were invested with the authority to dispose of the whole of that large region which,

in 1742, had been granted by the tribe of Piankeshaw Indians to the French inhabitants of Vincennes. Accordingly a very convenient arrangement was entered into by which the whole

tract of country mentioned was to be divided between the members of the honorable court. A record was made to that effect, and perhaps the most interesting part of this job— modern politicians i ca. it a steal was that each member found convenient to be absent from court on the day that the order was made in his favor.*

During the progress of the conflict between civilization and barbarism in the northwest, from 1779 to 1787, the date at which the territory of the United States northwest of the Ohio was organized, there were but few events of importance in which the settlements in Indiana were not concerned, or by which they were not affected. In the fall of 1780, LaBalme, a Frenchman, made an attempt to capture the British garrison of Detroit by leading an expedition against it from Kaskaskia. `At the head of thirty men he marched to Vincennes, where his force was slightly increased. From this town he proceeded to the British trading post at the head of the Maumee, where Fort Wayne now stands, where he plundered the British traders and Indians and then retired. While encamped on the bank of a small stream on his retreat, he was attacked by a band of Miamis, a number of his men were killed, and the expedition against Detroit ended in ruin. Thus ran the current of border war, sometimes resulting in a victory for the Americans and sometimes for the enemy, during the long struggle for independence, until in 1783, the treaty of Paris was concluded, and the Congress of the United States declared a cessation of hostilities between the United States and Great Britain.

Up to this date the territory now included within the limits of the State of Indiana belonged, by conquest, to the State of Virginia, but in January, 1783, the General Assembly of that State resolved to cede to the Congress of the United States all right, title and claim which it held to the territory northwest of the Ohio. The conditions offered by Virginia were accepted by Congress on the twentieth of December of the same year, and the transfer was effected early in 1784. In the year preceding, however, the Assembly of Virginia passed an act for

Harrison's Letters.