Indiana State University - Sycamore Yearbook (Terre Haute, IN)

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to take out land in the ranges just west of the Second Principal Meridian ' ' (See majD.) This same year. 1812. Hugh McGary made the first permanent settlement at the site of Evansville. ' Thus, the reaction on the frontier and the in- creased immigration, began to concentrate set- tlements more in the older regions — regions in great part which were little settled. Since 1807 the lands in Indiana had been on sale at thi-ee land offices — namely, Cincinnati, established in 1800; Vincennes, established in 180-1. and Jeffersonville, established in 1807. In 1812 the land sales at these offices decreased. The lands were sold in mininum tracts of 160 acres each at a minimum price of $2.00 an acre. Supposing that for each 160-acre tract sold at Vincennes in 1812, one family settled in the Vincennes district (all of Indiana west of the Second Principal Meridian and part of Illinois), then about twenty-four families set- tled in the district ; and about one hundred and eighty-four families would have settled in the Jeffersonville District. In 1811 the number would have been somewhat greater. Not every family of settlers, however, bought land of the government, so the land sales cannot be used to determined jirecisely the number of new settlements. The war along the. Canadian border con- tinued half heartedly. Governor Harrison was given command of the Army of the Northwest, while John Gibson acted as governor of In- diana Territory. The Indians along the Wa- bash, as has been seen, became so threatening that the legislature decided to move the gov- ernment from Vincennes. In his message to the legislature, February 2, 1813, acting Gov- ernor Gibson referred to the frontier dangers as follows: At your last assemblage (Novem- ber 11, 1811), our political horizon seemed clear, our infant territory bid fair for rapid and rising grandeur : our population was high- ly flattering; our citizens were becoming pros- ' IMd, p. 587. ' Tanclerburg County, (1SS9) P. 94. perous and happy, and security dwelt every- where, even on our frontiers. But alas! the scene has changed The aborigines, our former nrij iiliiir ;nid friends, have become our most inwtcraic Inrs. They have drawn the scalping knife and raised the towahawk. and shouts of savage fury are heard at our thresh- olds. Our frontiers are now wiles, and our inner settlements have become frontiers. ' ' The war was not 3 ' et supported very en- thusiastically in the territory. Gibson lamented the lack of patriotism shown by the men, and urged that a better spirit be shown to meet the attacks of the enmies, and to carry the war into the enemies ' camps. The following advertise- ment in the Western Sun, January 30, 1813, il- lu.strates one of the d ifficulties in keeping a frontier army together. TEN DOLLARS REWARD. ' •Deserted from Fort Harrison, on the 3rd of December, 1812, William A[ ] a private soldier of the United States Army, aged 21 years. Desertions were frequent, especially when the campaigns were extended, so the problem of discipline was raised to a maximum. About a week after Gibson addressed the leg- islature on the poor support given the anny, the people of the Northwest, and, in fact of all the United States, were shocked at the follow- ing awful news from the commanding general : HEADQUARTERS Camp on Carrying Creek, fifteen miles from the Rapids of the Maumee Eiver. January 2i. 1813. My Dear Sir (Governor Shelby of Ken- tucky), The greater part of Col. Wells ' s regiment U. S. infantry, and 5th regi- ment Kentucky infantry, and Allen ' s rifle regi. under the immediate orders of General Win- Western Sun, (Vincennes) Feb. 6, 1813.

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out by the British authorities in Canada fanned the tlame of discontent; and Elliott, the old enemy of the Americans, still living near Maiden (across the i-iver below Detroit), ob- serving symptoms of impending war between the United States and Great Britain, was again wielding a jjotent influence over the chiefs of the tribes in the Northwest. Their resources, as well as jjrivileges, were curtailed. Na- poleon ' s continental S3 ' stem touched even the savage of the wilderness. It clogged and al- most closed the chief markets for his furs, and the prices were so low that Indian hunters found it difficult to purchase their usual neces- saries from the traders. At the beginning of ISll the Indians were ripe for any enterprise that promised them relief and independence. ' The Indians, thus aroused, began stealing horses, plundering houses, and committing simi- hir (Iced . thus creating general alarm along the border settlements. In the meantime Harrison had called (nit the militia and had secured reg- ular troops to hcl]) cliastise the Indians. He started witii his army of twenty-four com- panies for the Prophet ' s town, stopping to build Fort Harrison, about two miles north of Terre Haute. By October 28, the fort was completed, and the next day the main body of troops moved on toward Tippecano( . Harri- son defeated Teeumtha and his Indian allies November 7. burned the village, and soon re- turned to Vineeiines. This defeat however, did not alleviate the dissatisfaction of the Indians. BRITISH WAR. C()ni;■ .•- decl:nv(l war against Great Britain •lull. ' lit. IM-J. On Aii-ust 16. Hull surren- dered DL ' truit. The preceding day. the Pota- watomi, who had been killing and harassing in the neighborhood of Fort Dearborn (Chicago), treacherously slew the garrison, together with the women and children inmates of that post, as they were vacating the post to retreat to Fort Wayne. The British and Indians then planned to make a general attack on the fron- tier posts and settlements. The Potawatomi, Kickapoo, Ottawa, Shawnee, and less powerful tribes readily listened to a union and confeder- ation of the tribes to drive back the approach- ing white settlements. The hostiles began to gather about Fort Wayne in August, and made attacks upon the few isolated settlers in the vicinity. A scalping party of Shawnees de- stroyed the Pigeon Boost Settlement, about twenty-five miles north of Jeffersonville. The same day some settlers at Fort Harrison were killed, and on the 4th a general attack was made upon that fort. It was with great diffi- culty that the garrison, aided by the women and children, all under the leadership of CajD- tain Zachary Taylor, was able to defend the place successfully. The next day the Indians made a series of attacks upon Fort Wayne. In one of these attacks they used their cunning bj ' bluffing the garrison with Quaker guns. These were hollow logs fitted up as cannon. However, the e guns caused greater injury to the Indians than to the whites, for when fired the cannon ' burst their bands. As the attacks of the hostiles began to thicken the outlying settlements of whites were de- serted, and the settlers retreated to more thickly settled regions, where block houses were built for protection. len that could be spared joined the army to help in repelling the attacks. Back from the frontier line wherever there was little danger from Indians, immigration and settle- ment continued quite rapidly. The southern part of the Twelve Mile Tract (purchase of 1809. just west of the Greenville Treaty Line) filled up rapidly with settlers. Other settlers, instead of jjushing farther into the interior to settle along the frontier, or perhaps to squat on the Indian lands, now broke into the wilder- ness farther down the Ohio. People began to .settle in small numbers on Little Pigeon Creek, where heretofore there had been only scattered settlements. The greater number of these came from Kentucky. ' Squatters and settlers began miles Register. July 4, ISIS, P. 318. Warrick, Spencer and Perry Counties (1SS5). P. 21.

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Chester, have been cut ti) pieces by the enemy, or taken i risoners. Great as the calamity is, I still hoi3e that as far as it relates to the objects of the campaign, it is not irreparable. William Henry Harrisox. His excellency. Gov. Shelby. ' Most probably the news of this defeat of Winchester ' s army was the immediate factor in causing the capital to be moved from Vin- cennes, to Corydon, for the legislature at ' ted at the time of receiving the news. IMMIGRATION DURING THE WAR. In spite of the continued hostility and the unfortunate camijaigns on the northern border, the settlements in 1813 increased. Although land sales very materially decreased in Ohio during this year, in Indiana they increased about 57% at Jefferson ville, over the preceding year, and about 35% at Vincennes. At Jeffer- sonville the sales were the greatest they had ever been, and at Vincennes greater than in any previous year except in 1807. when the great sales began. Purchases continued to be made where there was little danger from In- dian attacks. The new town of Eising Sun, in Dearborn County (now Ohio County, since 1844), was laid out by a planter who had come from ] r:uyliind a few years previously. ' On INIiinli J. IM. ' ). the first tree was cleared away for the building of the town of New Albany. ' Farther west great changes were taking place. Knox County was the largest county in the ter- ritory, and until 1807 had been the most popu- lous part of the territory. Ever since Indiana had been erected into a territory, and even be- fore, immigrants had been settling in the Wa- bash basin, both above and below White river. Others had made clearings in the basins of the two White rivers. Still others had settled along the old Buffalo Trace, which led from Louisville to Vincennes. These settlements become more frequent after the passage of the slavery act, and the opening up of more lands No. 4, P. 6. for settlement in 1805. By 1S13 these settle- ments had increased enough, largely because Indian hostilities larevented settlements on the border, that the legislature felt justified in erecting two new counties, out of the southern part of Knox County. (See map.) Warrick County was to contain all west of the Principal Meridian and south of the line between town- ships three and four south. Gibson County was north of AVarrick County. Ci greater importance. The farmers took their flour, corn, whiskey, and meats to New (Or- leans by flatboat, just as Lincoln did later. In order to facilitate navigation on Whitewater river, the legislature declared that stream navi- gable from the Ohio state line up the river, and its west branch to the three forks. The county courts in the various counties through which the river ran were instructed to lay the river off into divisions, and to appoint an overseer over each division. These overseers were to call out the men to clear the river for naviga- tion, just as they were called out to work the roads. ' This legislature also passed an act regulating exportation. It provided for the inspection of flour, beef, and pork that were packed for shipment. A barrel of beef or pork should contain 200 pounds, and should be branded. Indiana Territory, Mess Beef. Prime Beef, Mess Pork, and Prime Pork, according as it was first or second grade. A barrel of flour should contain 196 pounds, and should be branded superfine, fine. or middlings, ac- cording as it was of first, second, or third quality. Later in the year the legislature cut off the northern part of Harrison County and erected a new county — Washington. Thus in one year three new counties were erected, making the total number ten. Territorial Laws, 12 6M, P. 4. Ibid. P. 58.