and military at Mackanak are constantly under arms and that they could here no friendship expressed among the Indians for the United States. I am also this moment informed by a letter from Detroit that the inhabitants of that place are fortifing themselves. It appears by information I this moment received that upwards of 200 Delawares have gone to meet the other Indians at the Kickapoo town in the prairie where it is expected 13 different nations will be represented. The Delawares have received this invitation from the Miamis at Massacinwa to attend this council. Since Rusherville [Richardville] returned from Detroit all the Miamis have refused to attend this counsel 3 excepted. Rusherville,1 Pecan and the Owl it is believed will be at this place to morrow to receive their goods and to cover their designs in assembling the Indians at the Kickapoo towns-none of the Pawtawatamys from this quarter have gone to this council. This business as I before told you was kept a secret from the Little Turtle2 the mesenger sent from Massacenwa to the Delawares 1. Richardville was a Miami chief born near Fort Wayne about 1761. His father was the Indian trader Druet de Richardville and his mother an Indian named Taucumwa. This Indian family had a monopoly of the transportation business between the Maumee and Wabash and was wealthy. John Baptist Richardville or Peshewa was her only son. He succeeded to the leadership of the tribe after the death of Pecan in 1814. He died in 1841. He is thought to have been a nephew of Little Turtle. Brice, Fort Wayne, 22, 280, 285, 314; Burton, Hist. Col. 66 2. Little Turtle. "Misch-e-can-o-quoh," or the Little Turtle, agreeably to the best received authorities, was of a mixed origin-his mother being a Mohegan woman and his father a Miami chief-born about the year 1747, at the latter's village on the upper waters of Eel river, some twenty miles west of Ft. Wayne. He planned and won decisive victories in the two engagements against detachments of Gen. Harmar's army, near Ft. Wayne, in October, 1790; was conspicuous as the leader in the attack, on the morning of November 4, 1791, upon the forces of Gov. St. Clair, that resulted in the terrible disaster known in history as "St. Clair's Defeat", and which was without a parallel in Indian warfare until the disastrous engagment of Gen. Custer, on the Little Big-Horn River of the Upper Missouri. He was also in the action of June 30, 1794, in the severe attack upon Major McMahon's escort of ninety riflemen and fifty dragoons, under the walls of "Fort Recovery", a military post erected in December, 1793, upon the ground where St. Clair had been defeated. Satisfied that the Indian confederation could not successfully contend with Gen. Wayne, he advised them to listen to the latter's overtures for peace. Overruled in this, he led his own warriors in the battle of August 20, 1794, known as the "Battle of the Fallen Timbers", in which Gen. Wayne achieved a decisive victory. From this time forward, the Little Turtle was the open and abiding friend of the United States. He would before this have broken away from the malign influence operating from Canada through its agents and traders, but he was powerless to carry his people with him until after they had suffered serious reverses. At the Treaty of Greenville, he shone as the brightest light in the assembled orators, gathered at this great council-fire from the entire Northwest, to plead the cause of their tribes and of their starving women and children. After the conclusion of peace, Little Turtle resided at his village, where the Government had built him a comfortable house. "He took," says Gov. Harrison, "great interest in everything that appertained 3 in delivering his message said he was directed to tell them (the Delawares) that this Business must be kept a secret from the Turtle, the White Loon, 5 Medals and Charley as they weare Big Knives-and ought not to know anything about the affairs of the Indians. I believe the Pawtawatamys, to civilized life, and possessed a mind capable of understanding their advantages in a degree far superior to any other Indian." In his character he combined, in an eminent degree, the qualities of the military strategist, the wily diplomat, the orator, and the philospher, winning distinction in all. He died of gout, July 14, 1812, on the side of the St. Marys river, opposite Ft. Wayne, in the orchard of his son-in-law Capt. Wm. Wells, from whose house, at his own request, he had been removed to the open air. He was buried upon the spot with military honors, by the troops of the garrison, and with his remains were deposited the sword and large silver medal presented by President Washington, and his other war implements and ornaments." Brice's Fort Wayne; Harrison, The Aborigines of the Ohio valley, 70 3. White Loon or Wapa Mangua a Miami chief. His village was on the Mississinewa near Marion. His town was burned by Campbell Dec. 14, 1812. Harrison had met him at Greenville and was personally acquainted with him and considered him friendly to the Americans. Harrison, Discourse on Aborigines, 7 4. "Five Medals or Waugshe was a celebrated war-chief of the river St. Joseph of Lake Michigan, whose village was upon the Elkhart tributary of that stream, in northern Indiana. He is recognized under various names, viz.; at the treaty of Greenville as "Wau-gshe"-from "Wau-gese", the Odjibwa name for a favorite silver ornament in the shape of and called a Half-Moon; at the second treaty of peace executed at Greenville, July 22, 1814, he is written down as "O-nox-a, or Five Medals"; while, at the treaty of Spring Wells, near Detroit, in 1815, his name is affixed to the parchment as "Noun-geesia, or Five Medals." The two are synonymous, the first being compounded from "Noun", Five, and "Gee-sia", medals or ornaments, in the Pottawatomie dialect, allowing for a somewhat defective spelling that fails to fully preserve the sound of the word as the Indian would pronounce it. He wore upon his person medals presented to him by both British and American authorities, with other ornaments, from which he came to be designated as "The Five Medals." Harrison, Discourse of Aborigines, 73 5. Charley or Katunga. A chief of that subdivision of the Miamis who were called Eel-Rivers (and Eel-Creeks), for reason that their ancient and principal village--known by the Indians as Ke-na-pa-com-a-qua, to the early French writers as L'Anguille (the Eel), and to the Americans as the "Eel River Town" was situated on this stream, some six miles above its confluence with the Wabash at Logansport, Ind. However, it is evident, from Gov. Harrison's instructions to Col. Campbell, already referred to, that Charley lived in one of the villages on the Mississinnewa which Col. Compbell was ordered to destroy; for among those whose lives were to be saved is named that of "Charley, the principal of the Eel River Tribe." The chief figures at several of the treaties, on behalf of his tribe, both before and after the war of 1812, as "Ka-Tun-ga" "Ke-tan-ga" (with the addition of "Charley"); and, in some instances, as simply Charley. His original name the signification of which is nowhere given-is neither Indian, French, or English, but savors of the corruption of all. His people were swept over to the British by the current of events immediately following Gen. Hull's surrender of Detroit, and which carried with it nearly all the other Northwestern tribes. The failure of the attack upon Fort Harrison, near Terre Haute, Ind., September 4, 1812, and upon Fort Wayne early in this month, together with the energy Gov. Harrison displayed in organizing the militia of Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky, all ablaze with enthusiasm, to recover the prestige and territory lost by the unexplainable conduct of Gen. Hull at Detroit thoroughly alarmed those of the Miamis who had taken sides with Te-cum-the and the British. Accordingly we learn, from an official letter of Gov. Harrison, dated Franklinton, O., October 13, 1812, 16-21182 miamis and Delawares are our friends. Lapasin is to be suspected the prophet keeps up a communication with the British at Malden. We are all allarmed at this place, my self excepted as I can see no danger as yet at our doors. Something must be done it cannot be done too soon for the Indians are certainly forming an improper combination one that it is not friendly towards us otherwise the Leaders in it would not keep it so much in the Dark from every person that is friendly disposed towards the united States. I have sent Mr. [John] Connor with this letter to you in order that you may receive all the information he possesses respecting the Delawares. I have promised him that you would reward him liberally for his trouble-treat him well He may be usefull to us. I shall do everything for the best and hope to secure such instructions from you as may be calculated to meet the present times as soon as possible. It is my opinion that the British are at the bottom of all this Business and depend on it that if we have war with them that many of the Indian tribes will take an active part against us-and nothing would have a better effect on the minds of the Indians than an immediate show of resentment on our that: "Before I left St. Mary's for Defiance, some Miamis had arrived, via Fort Wayne, with a flag and a message from their chiefs, begging for peace. I had no time then to listen to their speech, and on my return here I found the Owl, (a distinguished chief, who had long been a confidential friend of the Governor) Charley, the Eel-River Chief, the Turtle's son, and several others who had joined them. They came prepared to palliate or deny the hostility of their tribe, as one or the other might best suit their purpose." Charley survived the war, and was living as late as October 6, 1818, when he, with other "chiefs and warriors of the Miami nation of Indians", executed the Treaty of St. Mary's; and he was dead before October 23, 1826, when, at the treaty held at the mouth of Mississinewa, a reservation of "five sections of land, above the old village on the north side of Eel River," was made in favor of his son "Little Charley". Harrison, Discourse on Aborigines, 69 6. Le Pousser (French), A-she-non-qua in the Miami dialect, signifying the Speech Maker, the Persuader, or Talker. At the treaty held October 26, 1809, at Vincennes, this chief's name is signed Lapousier (the article La and the word Pousser run together as in the Ft. Wayne manuscript), while at the "Treaty of Peace and Friendship," between the U. S. and the Miamis and other hostile tribes in the War of 1812, executed at Greenville, Ohio, July 22, 1814, his name appears thus, "Lapassiere or A-she-non-qua." Vide History of the War of (1812), by Sam'l R. Brown, vol. ii; Appendix, where the text of the Treaty is supplemented with the signers' names interpreted and carefully spaced so as to preserve the correct sound in their pronunciation. The Weas, for whom A-she-non-qua was a leading orator, were a band of the Miami tribe having their principal village on the east bank of the Wabash, below Lafayette, and above Attica, and known in early history as Ouiatanon, or the Wea-town. The name is yet preserved, and the identity of the neighborhood retained, in its bestowal upon "Wea-Prairie" and "Wea-creek." Harrison, Discourse on the Aborigines, 65 part at their endeavoring to form unfriendly combinations towards us. The prophet and his insolent band should be the first object of our resentment. He should be punished for his insolence. I am dear Sir with respect Your most obt. servant Governor HARRISON W. WELLS N. B. I despair of getting the Indians to move the prophet from Greenville and I doubt whether matters can be kept in there present state until I have time to hear from you. The Miamis Eel river Indians and Pautawatomis will be at this place tomorrow I shall treat them well and endeavour to git everything I can out of them and from time to time write you everything that comes to my knowledge worth your attention. HARRISON TO SECRETARY OF WAR VINCENNES, 29th August 1807 SIR: Since my last I have made every exertion to ascertain the real disposition of the neighbouring Tribes and the cause of the stir and commotion which have existed amongst them for some time past. The avowed object of the latter is to cement a more perfect union and friendship amongst themselves as they have often been advised to the United States but to which I am persuaded they were stimulated in the present instance by British influence. I am confident however that the ultimate object of the British (which no doubt is that of forming a general confederacy against us) has not yet been communicated either to the Miamis, Weas, Delawares or even to the Kickapoos. The Shawnees are certainly entirely devoted to the British as are a part of the Potawatomies, the Chippeways and Ottawas. From the enclosed deposition of [Dominique] Ducharme1 sent to me by Mr. Jouitt it would appear that the latter tribes have actually 1. Dominique and Jean Marie Ducharme were Canadian traders (1770-1810) who lived in the woods. At times they had headquarters at such towns as Cahokia. They were intimately acquainted with all the Northwestern tribes from the Ohio to Lake Superior. Reynolds, Pioneer Ill. 123; Mich. Pioneer Hist Col, Index determined on commencing hostilities. I have adopted measures which I think cannot fail to put me in possession of the intentions of the British in this quarter, at least as far as they are known to the Indians. As soon as my emissary returns you shall be informed of everything he may be able to discover. I am in the meantime doing all in my power to organize and discipline the Militia of the Territory. As it is almost impossible to find persons who are acquainted even with the rudiments of tactics, I am obliged to perform alternately the duties of Commander-in-chief Adjutant and even drill corporal. The habits of my early life are not however so far obliterated as to make this duty irksome or unpleasant, were it not for the great deficiency of arms and accoutrements. We have cavalry without swords, light infantry without bayonets or cartridge boxes and battalions armed with a mixture of rifles, fowling pieces, broken muskets and sticks. To a man accustomed to the uniformity of a regular and disciplined army, these things are really shocking. I must beg of you sir to submit to the President the propriety of having our deficiency made up from the publick arsenals. A small deposit of arms might be made with good effect at this place, at Kaskaskia or Cahokia, and Jeffersonville. The Militia of Dearborn county, the seat of Justice of which is not more than 18 miles from the Arsenal at New-Port, might, in case of emergency be supplied from there. I have not been able to collect the returns from the distant counties of the volunteers who have offered on the terms of the late act of Congress. I am in hopes to be able to forward them to you in the course of a fortnight. Two troops of cavalry one of light infantry, one or two of expert riflemen, and two or three others to be armed with rifles or muskets as the President may chose, may I think be calculated on. I am extremely anxious to know the President's determination on the subject of a supply of arms etc. If he should direct them to be supplied, on order to Major [Thomas] Martin2 to send them on immediately to the places above designated would enable us to get them much sooner than if the order were in the first instance sent to me. 2. Thomas Martin, Georgia, served through revolution and at its close became a first lieutenant in the First infantry. Relieved of active service in 1802, and made military store keeper. Died Jan. 18, 1819. Heitman Register, 693 |