to leave the island of Mackinaw, with its fortifications and choosing a new site on which to locate. By the signing the treaty of Ghent, on the 28th of December, 1814, the island of Mackinaw again passed into the possession of the United States, which made necessary the transfer of the British garrison to some other point. Where that point should be was to be determined by the anxiety of the British officers in command in America, to retain control of the passage between the upper and lower lakes, and possibly to found another Gibraltar, whose guns should compel obedience to the royal mandates; but more especially the anxiety to retain the prestige among the Indian tribes for which they had labored so hard and had enjoyed so long. It is a matter to be noted that the news of the signing of the treaty, and the consequent close of the war, was so long in reaching the northwestern frontier, that hostilities did not cease in the vicinity of Mackinaw until late in the spring of 1815. The messenger who was sent with the dispatches and orders relative to carrying out of the treaty was two months on the road from York, (now Toronto), to Mackinaw; and rumor had ample time to convey to the post commander the general nature of the news which he might expect to learn officially, in due time. It was not until May 11, 1815, that Lieutenant Colonel McDonall, in command at Mackinaw, received the official dispatches, with a copy of the treaty, and instructions for turning over that post to the United States military authorities, and to select some place in the same neighborhood which could be a point of defense and offense, and there to erect temporary quarters for the garrison and shelter of the government stores, and to remove his command thither. By these instructions McDonall was sorely perplexed. His services on the frontier had made him spokesman on behalf of the king with the Indian tribes of the whole northwest. The country included in his command was, to use his own words, “greater in extent than the whole of Lower Canada;" and from his intimate relations with the Indian tribes, and the promises he had held out to them, it seemed to him that in relinquishing the island of Mackinac, the favorite place of resort of numer ous tribes, for a long period, who were accustomed to gather there from regions as far distant as the basin of the Mississippi, and the Red River of the North, he would be leaving them to a fate which they did not deserve, at the same time the British would lose the influence which they long sought and exercised over these copper skinned allies. To him, therefore, it seemed politic, if not absolutely necessary, that the new post should be so situated as to be easily accessible to the Indians, and capable of being made of even greater strategic importance that their old location on Mackinac Island, while it must be such as to ensure the respect of the allied tribes and cause them to look with disdain upon Mackinac as the representative of an inferior power. Lying across the northern end of Lake Huron and separated from the main land of the upper peninsula of Michigan by the Strait of Detour, is an island, at the mouth of St. Mary's river, twenty by thirteen miles in extreme length and breadth, and comprising an area of about one hundred and twenty square miles. Its shores are lined with beautiful harbor bays, thickly studded with small islands, whose high surfaces are covered by a dense growth of perennial green. Streams and small woodland lakes are numerous on the island, and the hardwood forests as well as the "black growths" of pine and spruce add greatly to the beauty of the landscape. On the west side of this point is the Detour strait, the pathway of the immense commerce of the great lakes passing through the St. Mary's river. On the eastern side of the lower portion of the island, called the point, is a spot which seems to have been chosen more for its beauty than because it possessed any advantages of military strat 1 egy; here the British flag floated for a period of thirteen years, in defiance of the treaty of Ghent, its award of the boundary commissions thereunder, and the comity of nations. During their stay neither citizens nor civilians seem to have been laggard in providing for their own comfort, apparently expecting that this was to be their permanent home. It was not until 1828 that the evacuation of the last British post on the great lakes was finally effected, and in the public documents or records of the United States government concerning this matter, or any matter pertaining to the occupancy or abandonment of Drummond Island by the British, there is nothing to be discovered except one letter, which follows: 66 "FORT BRADY, November 13, 1828. SIR: I have the honor to inform you that I have received a letter from the officer commanding the British troops at Drummond island, informing me that he had received orders from the commander of the forces to turn over the public buildings to our government, and requesting me to send an officer to receive them. I have this day sent Brevet Lieutenant Simonton to receive them, with directions to employ a respectable citizen to take charge of them for the present. The British troops are to leave here by the 15th or 18th. "With great respect, "(Signed) D. WILCOX, Captain 5th Regiment Commanding. This proceeding appears to have closed the incident of British occupation in the United States. CHAPTER IX BATTLE OF MORAVIAN TOWN PROCTOR OPPOSED BY TECUMSEH-CONCENTRATE AT MORAVIAN TOWN— "REMEMBER THE RAISIN-HARRISON OVERTAKES PROCTOR-AMERICANS BREAK THE BRITISH LINE-DEATH OF TECUMSEH-A MORTIFYING DEFEAT-TROPHIES AND PRISONERS-RESULT OF BATTLE AND TECUMSEH'S DEATH. The crushing blow dealt by Commodore Perry to the British arms in the naval battle on Lake Erie in September was followed up vigorously by General Harrison with his army in Canada. The British and Canadians realized that with the recent defeats at Sandusky and Miami, their power was waning and that some decision was demanded in regard to their future movements. General Harrison was massing his forces in Ohio for an invasion of Canada and had a large force assembled, only waiting the collection of sufficient boats to transport his troops. PROCTOR OPPOSED BY TECUMSEH General Proctor called a council of war which the chieftains of the various Indian tribes were summoned to attend. After a brief exposition of the condition of affairs Proctor proposed that the forts of Detroit and Amherstburg together with the various public buildings should be destroyed and that the troops and Indians should retire to Niagara. Upon this proposal there was a division of sentiment among the Indian chiefs, but Tecumseh, who was present, whose proud and impetuous. spirit could not easily adapt itself to the idea of retiring before his enemies, had no sooner heard the conclusion of the address of Proctor than he arose and began an impassioned speech, accompanying his warlike expressions with wild gesticulation protesting against the infamy of abandoning their position without first using every exertion for its defense. He assailed the commanding officer in violent terms, accusing him of cowardice; and after having compared his conduct to that of Capt. Barclay, whose conduct he praised in the most extravagant terms. speech was a marvel of native eloquence and made a deep impression. 'Father, "he thundered, "Listen to your children! You see them all now before you. The war before this, our British father gave the hatchet to his red children, when our old chiefs were alive. They are now dead. In that war, our father was thrown on his back by the Americans, and our fathers took them by the hand without our knowledge and we are afraid our fathers will do so again at this time. Summer before last when I came forward with my red brethren and was ready to take up the hatchet in favor of our British father, we were told not to be in a hurry, that he had not determined to fight the Americans. His "Listen! When war was declared, our father stood up and gave us the tomahawk, and told us he was now ready to strike the Americans that he wanted our assistance; and that he would certainly get us our lands back, which the Americans had taken from us. "Listen! You told us that time to bring forward our families to this place. We did so, and you promised to take care of them, that they should want for nothing, while the men would go out and fight the enemy-that we were not to trouble ourselves with the enemy's garrisons, that we knew nothing about them, and that our father would attend to that part of the business. You also told your red children that you would take good care of their garrison here-which made our hearts glad. "Listen! Father, listen! Our fleet has gone out; we know they have fought; we have heard the noise of the great guns, but we know nothing of what has happened to our father with one arm (alluding to Captain Barclay at the battle of Lake Erie, who lost an arm while serving under Nelson at Trafalgar). Our ships have gone one way and we are much astonished to see our father here, tying up everything and preparing to run away the other, without letting his red children know what his intentions are. You always told us to remain here and take care of our lands; it made our hearts glad to hear that this was your wish. Our great father, the King, is the head and you represent him. You always told us you would not draw our feet off British ground; but now, father, we see you are drawing back, and we are sorry to see our father doing this without meeting the enemy. We must compare our father's conduct to a fat animal that carries its tail upon his back, but when it is frightened, drops it between his legs and runs away. us. "Listen, father! The Americans have not yet defeated us by land; neither are we sure that they have done so by water, we therefore wish to remain here and fight our enemy should they make their appearance. If they defeat us, we will then retreat with our father. At the battle of the Rapids, last war, the Americans certainly defeated us; and when we retreated to our father's fort at that place, the gates were shut against We are afraid that it would now be the case; but instead of that now, we see our British father preparing to march out of his garrison. "Father! You have got the arms and ammunition which our great father, the King, sent for his red children. If you have any idea of going away, give them to us, and you may go your way, in welcome, for us. Our lives are in the hands of the great spirit; we are determined to defend our lands, and if it is his will, we wish to leave our bones upon them." INDIANS SUPPORT THE GREAT CHIEF No sooner had this startling speech ended, than all the chiefs present started up to a man, brandishing their tomahawks in the most menacing manner, vociferated their full approval of his words. The scene was most imposing and dramatic; the council room where the conference took place was a large building with a lofty vaulted roof, which echoed back the wild yells of the savages; while the threatening attitude and characteristic costumes of the Indians formed a striking contrast to the calm demeanor and military dress of the officers grouped around the walls. It is easy to imagine, however, that the prominent and attractive figure in the picture was Tecumseh himself; his tall, powerful and graceful form, his athletic proportions, admirably set forth by his closefitting buckskin dress, richly ornamented, while a head dress of a large white ostrich feather rested upon his brow, offering a striking contrast with the deep copper color of his skin, and the raven black hair, his features illuminated by the brilliancy of his piercing black eyes-all forming a singularly wild and imposing tableau. He was a wonderful .man, and it was not difficult to imagine that he could be terrible. CONCENTRATE AT MORAVIAN TOWN Some degree of quiet being restored, General Proctor, through the medium of his interpreters, explained the motives which influenced him in his decision and finally succeeded in prevailing upon the chiefs to consider a second proposal, which was to retire to the Moravian village about half way between Amherstburg and the outposts of the center division of the British army, and there await the approach of the Americans. The troops were immediately set at work, destroying the fortifications and burning such of the stores as could not be removed with convenience. The destruction of the buildings consumed considerable time and when the work was finished the forts of Detroit and Amherstburg presented a scene of ruin and desolation. Early in the last week of September the troops of the two garrisons proceeded up the River Thames, a stream navigable for small craft. and emptying into Lake St. Clair. The bridge near Amherstburg, having been destroyed by Proctor's rear guard on their retreat, was speedily repaired by the U. S. troops, who had crossed the lake in boats after the Lake Erie victory, at Put-in-Bay, and were now hastening after the retiring enemy. "REMEMBER THE RAISIN”? They were overtaken on the first of October, Gen. Harrison having assigned to Colonel Lewis Cass the charge of the troops at their debarkation from the vessels. He formed the troops into line for the march, and issued a general order which closed with the memorable words: Kentuckians, remember the River Raisin: but remember only when victory is suspended. The revenge of a soldier cannot be gratifed upon a fallen enemy. This intensely significant sentiment was immediately taken up by the Kentucky and Ohio troops and formed the battle cry Remember the Raisin." On crowded ships; on hostile shore, on the line of march, in camp after the clash of arms, men whispered or shouted. "Remember the Raisin; at the outset of every encounter the sharp. quick cry "Remember the Raisin" spurred the men on to victory. Certainly it was but human that these brave patriotic men, drawn from the flower of Kentucky's chivalry, of all ranks, should have been inspired to the utmost by the remembrances of that fatal day at Frenchtown, when blood was poured out in the carnage permitted or encouraged by men and officers, from whom every impulse of humanity our soldierly honor seem to have departed. Who can blame them for harboring feelings of animosity towards an enemy so destitute of the simplest forms of mercy and human consideration for their unfortunate victims? Who allowed, without a protest, the most barbarous atrocities to be perpetrated by their monstrous savage allies, thirsting for blood? General Harrison's army was quite destitute of means of pursuing, expediently, the retreating enemy. Proctor had stripped the country of provisions and stores, and collected upwards of one thousand horses for the use of his flying army. The only horse in our army at that time and on that march was a small French pony which was placed at the service of the venerable Governor Shelby of Kentucky, who was then sixty-five years of age, but as full of military ardor, and the laudable desire for administering retributive justice on the cowardly Proctor and his men, as any of the young officers about him. The sudden flight, betraying cowardice in Proctor, served in a measure |