The greater part of the next day was spent by our friends in a farewell
visit to the Fair; but the sun had not yet set when again they all
gathered upon the _Dolphin's_ deck, and she weighed anchor and
proceeded on her course up the lake.
"What a wonderful city it is to be so young!" remarked Mr. Dinsmore
when they reached Chicago.
"Yes, sir," said Rosie. "Mamma was giving us a little sketch of its
early history, last evening; and we found it very interesting; but I
can't say that the events here, or anywhere else, for that matter, of
the war of 1812-14 have increased my love for the British. Think of
them hiring the Indians to kill men, women, and children, paying just
the bounty for them that they would for so many wolf-scalps!"
"Yes, it was barbarous indeed; but do not forget that even in the
days of the Revolution there were Britons who viewed such doings
with horror. In 1777 there was a debate in the English Parliament
concerning the employment of Indians against the American colonists,
when a member of the House of Lords spoke in approval of it, saying
it was right to use the means given them by God and Nature. 'God
and Nature!' repeated the Earl of Chatham in scornful tones. 'Those
abominable principles and this most abominable avowal of them demand
most decisive indignation. I call upon that right reverend bench
(pointing to the bishops), those holy ministers of the Gospel and pious
pastors of the Church--I conjure them to join in the holy work, and to
vindicate the religion of their God.' That showed that he (Chatham)
was strongly opposed to such barbarity, but his appeal to the bishops
was vain. Every man of them voted for the employment of the savages
in a war against their brethren, who were fighting for their freedom
after years of patient endurance of oppression--years of patient but
unsuccessful effort to gain it by peaceful means."
"Yes, I have always admired William Pitt!" said Rosie. "But did any of
the British people disapprove of the employment of the Indians in the
war of 1812, grandpa?"
"I presume a great many did, though I do not just now remember any
historical mention of the fact," replied Mr. Dinsmore, "except among
those whose business interests were sure or likely to suffer," he added
musingly.
"Those Sand Hills from behind which the Pottawatomies fired upon the
whites are quite gone now, are they not, papa?" asked Grace.
"Yes," replied Captain Raymond, "the city now covers the entire theatre
of the events of that dreadful day. It has been a rapid and wonderful
transformation."
"Don't you think, papa, it might have been saved--I mean Fort
Dearborn--if Captain Heald had not been so obstinately determined to do
as he thought best, regardless of the opinions of his officers and Mr.
Kinzie, and the warnings of friendly Indians?" asked Grace.
"I do, indeed," was the emphatic reply. "And that Mackinack, which fell
into the hands of the British about a month earlier, might have been
saved to our country but for the criminal neglect of the then Secretary
of War. Hancks, who was in command, did not know, had not heard of the
declaration of war, though he might have been informed of it nearly
a week earlier than the news reached the British commander of Fort
St. Joseph, who led the attack, and by reason of the ignorance of the
garrison and its commander of the true state of affairs came upon them
so unexpectedly that they had no opportunity to defend the fortress."
"Oh, tell us the story of it, papa, please!" pleaded little Elsie, and
drawing her to a seat upon his knee, he complied at once.
"The fort was built in the first place by the French," he said, "and
taken from them by the English when they conquered Canada. The Indians
were not pleased with the change and said to the English, 'You have
conquered the French, but you have not conquered us.' Perhaps you may
remember what I told you some weeks ago about the attack of the Indians
upon the people in the fort. The Indians were playing ball outside the
walls of the fortress, and, pretending to be very friendly, invited the
garrison to view the game. It was a gay and exciting scene, and the
unsuspicious members of the garrison were looking on with interest,
forgetting to be on their guard against treachery, when a ball went up
in a lofty curve and fell near the pickets of the fort.
"It was a preconcerted signal; the warriors instantly rushed toward the
fort, armed with hatchets which their squaws had concealed under their
blankets, and the whites being taken by surprise, a dreadful massacre
followed.
"The following year the fort was again garrisoned by the English, the
Indians fleeing at their approach. After the Revolutionary War--in
1796--the island with its fort came into possession of the United
States, the western military posts being surrendered to the Americans
by the British, and in 1812 the fortress, then called Fort Holmes, was
garrisoned by fifty-seven men under the command of Lieutenant Hancks
of the United States Artillery. As a defence of the fur-traders and
the scattered settlements of the Northwest, it was a very important
post. You doubtless remember that it stands on a bluff overlooking the
harbor."
"It is a beautiful place in the summer," remarked Grace, "but must be
dreary enough through the long winters."
"It is," said her father, "yet by no means so dreary now as it was in
those days, surrounded by hordes of savages ever ready to raise the
hatchet in the pay of those who seemed to be the stronger party.
"Lieutenant Hancks and his garrison knew that in the event of war
they must be prepared to defend themselves, but as you have just been
told, they were left in uncertainty for nearly a week after the news
should have reached them. There had been rumors of expected hostilities
brought by traders, but the first intimation that there had been an
actual declaration of war was given by the arrival of the English
Captain Roberts, on the morning of the 17th of July, with his garrison
of British regulars--46, including 4 officers--260 Canadian militia,
and 715 Indians--Ottawas, Chippewas, Sioux, Winnebagoes.
"They came in boats, bateaux, canoes, convoyed by the brig _Caledonia_,
which belonged to the Northwest Fur Company and was laden with
provisions and stores.
"On the morning of the day before, the Indian interpreter had told
Hancks he had reliable information that the Indians were assembling in
large numbers at St. Joseph and were about to attack Fort Holmes.
"Hancks had no sooner heard that than he summoned the American
gentlemen on the island to a conference on the matter, at which it was
decided to send a messenger to St. Joseph to learn, if possible, the
temper of the commandant, and to watch the movements of the Indians.
"Captain Darman was the man chosen, and he set off upon his errand
about sunset that same evening."
"All by himself, papa, when it was just getting dark, too?" asked
Elsie. "How could he see to row his boat?"
"A full moon shone in the sky, daughter, and lighted him on his way,"
replied the captain. "But he had gone only fifteen miles when he met
the boats carrying the British and Indians, and was taken prisoner by
them."
"And did they kill him and scalp him, papa?"
"No; they let him go on condition that he would return to the island
in advance of them, call the people together to the west side of
it to receive the protection of a British guard for themselves and
their property, and not give Lieutenant Hancks any information of the
approach of the enemy. Also he was to warn the people that if any of
them carried the news to the fort there would be a general massacre.
Darman was landed at dawn, and did exactly as he had promised."
"Oh, papa! and didn't anybody warn the poor fellows in the fort?"
"Yes; a Dr. Day, braver than any of the rest, hurried to the fort and
gave the alarm while the others were fleeing from the village to escape
from the bloodthirsty savages. But it was too late; the enemy had
already landed and taken one of their two heavy guns to the top of the
hill at the back of the fort, placing it so as to command the American
works at their weakest point. By nine o'clock Roberts had possession of
the heights, and hideously painted savages were swarming everywhere.
"At half-past eleven the Americans were summoned to surrender the
fortress to the forces of his 'Britannic Majesty.' Hancks then held
a consultation with his officers and the American gentlemen in the
fort, and all agreeing in the opinion that it would be impossible to
defend it against such overwhelming numbers--over a thousand, while the
garrison could boast but fifty-seven men rank and file--he decided that
it was expedient to surrender.
"Honorable terms were granted and at noon the American colors were
taken down and those of Great Britain substituted in their stead. The
prisoners were all paroled, and those who desired to leave the island
were sent in a British vessel to Detroit."
"I should hardly have supposed any American would want to stay here
under British rule," remarked Grace.
"An order was presently issued that all upon the island who would not
take the oath of allegiance to the British government must leave there
within a month," said Captain Raymond.
"And they didn't let the Indians kill anybody, papa?" asked Elsie.
"No," replied her father, "but it is altogether likely that if there
had been any resistance many, if not all, would have fallen victims to
the bloodthirsty savages, for one of the British, who had command of
280 of the Indians, said in a letter to Colonel Claus at Fort George,
'It was a fortunate circumstance that the fort surrendered without
firing a single gun, for had they done so, I firmly believe not a soul
would have been saved.'"
"The capture of Mackinaw was a great loss to our country, was it not,
father?" asked Lucilla.
"Yes, it was indeed," responded the captain, "a loss to the fur-trade
of the West and a terrible calamity to the people of Detroit and other
Western pioneers. It gave the enemy command of the upper lakes with all
the advantages connected with it, and exposed Detroit to fearful raids
by the hostile Indians."
"And all that dreadful state of affairs was the result of the
unpardonable negligence of the Secretary of War!" she exclaimed.
"Really, I don't see how he could ever forgive himself."
"No, nor do I," said Rosie, "especially when afterward Detroit too fell
into the hands of the British; for its fall was a great assistance to
the British cause."
"Yes," said Walter, "in more ways than one; for they got arms,
ammunition, and stores; also it was months before another invading
army of Americans could be raised and furnished with arms and other
necessaries; and in the meantime the British made their preparations
for further attacks upon us. They got valuable stores at Mackinaw, too;
among them seven hundred packages of costly furs. By the way, Brother
Levis, was there not an attempt made by our troops, later on in the
war, to repossess Mackinaw?"
"Yes; Mackinaw was the key to the traffic in furs of the Northwest;
therefore the Americans were determined to recapture it, and the
British fully as determined to keep possession of it; for which
purpose they sent there a considerable body of troops consisting of
regulars, Canadian militia, and seamen. They took with them twenty-four
bateaux loaded with ordnance, and found on the island a large body of
Indians waiting to join them as allies. That was in April, 1814, and
about the same time Commander Arthur St. Clair with a little squadron
consisting of the _Caledonia_, _St. Lawrence_, _Niagara_, _Tigress_,
and _Scorpion_, started on a land and naval expedition to the upper
lakes. The land force, under the command of Lieutenant-colonel Croghan,
the gallant defender of Fort Stephenson, was attacked by the British
and Indians August 1, 1813."
"Oh, yes, I remember!" exclaimed Walter. "What splendid work he did
there, though he was but twenty-one years old!"
"The expedition left Detroit early in July," continued the captain. "I
will not go into the whole story of its action at present; sufficient
to say they arrived at Mackinaw on the 26th of July. They soon learned
that the enemy was very strong in position and numbers, and it was a
question between St. Clair and Croghan whether it would be wise to make
an immediate attack. The guns of the vessels could not damage the works
because they were so elevated, and they could not carry the place by
storm.
"Finally it was decided that Croghan should land on the western side
of the island, under cover of the guns of the vessels, and try to
attack the works in the rear. He did so on the 4th of August, landing
without much molestation, but was presently met by the garrison, who
were strongly supported by the Indians in the thickets; also a storm
of shot and shell was poured upon them from a battery of guns. There
was a sharp fight and Croghan was compelled to fall back and return to
the ship; 1 officer and 12 privates had been killed, 52 wounded, and 2
others were missing.
"The attempt to recover Mackinaw at that time had to be given up, and
most of the little squadron sailed for Detroit. The _Scorpion_ and
the _Tigress_ were left behind to blockade the only route by which
provisions and other supplies could reach Mackinaw. The two vessels
cruised about for some time till the garrison was threatened with
starvation or surrender in order to avert it; but early in September
they were both captured by British and Indians sent out from the fort.
They came in five boats and surprised the _Tigress_ first, when the
_Scorpion_ was said to be fifteen miles away. She was at anchor near
the shore, it was about nine o'clock in the evening, intensely dark,
and the enemy was within fifty yards of the vessel when discovered.
"The Americans made a gallant defence, but were overpowered by numbers,
there being but thirty of them beside the officers, and about one
hundred of the assailants. Lieutenant Bulger, the British commander of
the expedition, said in his report of the affair that the defence of
the vessel did credit to her officers, who were all severely wounded.
They and the crew were all sent prisoners of war to Mackinaw, while
Bulger and his men remained on board the _Tigress_. They kept her
position unchanged and her pennant flying, and when, on the 5th, the
_Scorpion_ was seen approaching, Bulger ordered his men to hide.
"All this deceived the men on the _Scorpion_; they thought the
_Tigress_ was still in the hands of their comrades, and when within
two miles anchored for the night. At dawn the next morning the British
ran the _Tigress_ down alongside of her, the concealed soldiers ran out
from their hiding-places, rushed on board the _Scorpion_, and in a few
minutes the British flag was floating over her."
"And the British were very jubilant over the capture, as I remember
reading," remarked Violet.
"And not very truthful in their report of it," added Walter. "Lossing
says Adjutant-General Baynes actually reported in a general order that
the vessels had crews of 300 each; only exaggerating 570 in stating the
aggregate of the crews of the two schooners."
But just here the talk was interrupted by the not unwelcome summons to
their evening meal.