CHAPTER XXVIII.

FATE OF THE PEACE-MAKERS - GREAT COUNCIL OF THE MAUMEE -PROPOSITIONS OF PEACE REJECTED BY THE INDIANS-WAYNE MARCHES INTO THE INDIAN COUNTRY-THE SKULLS ON ST. CLAIR'S BATTLEFIELD-FORT RECOVERY ESTABLISHED.

THE FATE of those who were sent out to induce the Indians to measures of peace, may be imagined. Freeman, who left Fort Washington on the seventh of April; Trueman, who left on the twenty-second of May, for the Maumee, and Col. Hardin, who, on the same day, started for Sandusky, were all murdered. Brant did not attend the Western Council, although he had agreed to in Philadelphia. Hendricks gave his message into the hands of Col. McKee, and kept away from the gathering of the confederated nations, and of the three messengers, Trueman, Hendricks and Putnam, Putnam alone reached his destination. He formed a treaty with several of the Wabash tribes, but, as it was not ratified by Congress, it proved of no

avail.

Indian councils were now in order-councils where Indians met Indians, and where no white man intruded himself. Probably the largest Indian council ever held was at the mouth of the River Auglaize, in 1792. It was assembled through the influence of the Iroquois, but did not accomplish the desired result. Besides, the New York, Western and Canadian Indians, there were present twenty-seven other nations. At this council the boundary line between the Americans and Indians was fully discussed, and all agreed that it must not extend north of the Ohio. However, nothing was fully resolved, the council agreeing to assemble again in the following spring. This meeting took place, and both the Americans and the Indians were fully represented. The United States Commis

sioners laid before the savages a plan for the settlement of all difficulties, but it proved dissatisfactory. The speech which 'was submitted by the Confederated Nations in reply to the commissioners, and which put an end to all negotiations, and opened the way for another bloody contest, is of such importance as to merit preservation in this volume. It was in these

words:

To the Commissioners of the United States. - Brothers: We have received your speech, dated the thirty-first of last month, and it has been interpreted to all the different nations. We have been long in sending you an answer because of the great importance of the subject. But we now answer it fully, having given it all the consideration in our power.

Brothers: You tell us that after you had made peace with the King, our father, about ten years ago, "it remained to make peace between the United States and the Indian nations who had taken part with the King. For this purpose commissioners were appointed, who sent messages to all those Indian nations, inviting them to come and make peace," and after reciting the periods at which you say treaties were held at Fort Stanwix, Fort McIntosh and Miami, all which treaties, according to your own acknowledgment, were for the sole purpose of making peace, you then say, "Brothers, the commissioners who conducted these treaties in behalf of the United States sent the papers containing them to the general council of the States, who, supposing them satisfactory to the nations treated with, proceeded to dispose of the lands thereby ceded."

Brothers: This is telling us plainly what we always understood to be the case, and it agrees with the declarations of those few who attended those treaties, viz.: That they went to your commissioners to make peace; but, through fear, were oblige to sign any paper that was laid before them, and it has since appeared that deeds of cession were signed by them, instead of treaties of peace.

Brothers: You then say, "after some time it appears that a number of people in your nations were dissatisfied with the treaties of Fort McIntosh and Miami; therefore, the council of the United States appointed Gov. St. Clair their commissioner, with full power, for the purpose of removing all causes of controversy, relating to trade, and settling boundaries, between the Indian nations in the northern department and the United States. He accordingly sent messages, inviting all the nations concerned to meet him at a council fire he kindled at the Falls of the Muskingum. While he was waiting for them some mischief happened at that place and the fire was put out; so he kindled a council fire at Fort Harmar, where near six hundred Indians of different nations attended. The Six Nations then renewed and confirmed the treaty of Fort Stanwix, and the Wyandots and Delawares renewed and confirmed the treaty of Fort McIntosh; some Ottawas, Chippewas, Pottawatomies and Sacs were also parties to the treaty of Fort

Harmar." Now, brothers, these are your words, and it is necessary for us to make a short reply to them.

Brothers: A general council of all the Indian confederacy was held, as you well know, in the fall of the year 1788, at this place, and that general council was invited by your commissioner, Gov. St. Clair, to meet him for the purpose of holding a treaty, with regard to the lands mentioned by you to have been ceded by the treaties of Fort Stanwix and Fort McIntosh.

Brothers: We are in possession of the speeches and letters which passed on that occasion between those deputed by the confederated Indians and Gov. St. Clair, the commissioner of the United States. These papers prove that your said commissioner, in the beginning of the year 1789, and after having been informed by the general council of the preceding fall, that no bargain or sale of any part of these Indian lands would be considered as valid or binding unless agreed to by a general council, nevertheless persisted in collecting together a few chiefs of two or three nations only, and with them held a treaty for the cession of an immense country, in which they were no more interested, than as a branch of the general confederacy, and who were in no manner authorized to make any grant or concession whatever.

Brothers: How then was it possible for you to expect to enjoy peace, and quietly to hold these lands, when your commissioner was informed, long before he had the treaty of Fort Harmar, that the consent of a general council was absolutely necessary to convey any part of these lands to the United States. The part of these lands which the United States now wish us to relinquish and which you say are settled, have been sold by the United States since that time.

Brothers: You say "the United States wish to have confirmed all the lands ceded to them by the treaty of Fort Harmar, and also a small tract at the rapids of the Ohio, claimed by Gen. Clark, for the use of himself and his warriors. And, in consideration thereof, the United States would give such a large sum of money or goods as was never given, at any one time, for any quantity of Indian lands, since the white people first set their feet on this island. And, because these lands did every year furnish you with skins and furs, with which you bought clothing and other necessaries, the United States will now furnish the like constant supplies. And, therefore, besides the great sum to be delivered at once, they will every year deliver you a large quantity of such goods as are best fitted to the wants of yourselves, your women and children."

Brothers: Money to us is of no value, and to most of us unknown; and, as no consideration whatever can induce us to sell the lands on which we get sustenance for our women and children, we hope we may be allowed to point out a mode by which your settlers may be easily removed, and peace thereby obtained.

Brothers: We know that these settlers are poor, or they would never have ventured to live in a country which has been in continual trouble ever since they crossed the Ohio. Divide, therefore, this large sum of

money, which you have offered to us, among these people. Give to each, also, a proportion of what you say you would give to us, annually, over and above this very large sum of money; and, as we are persuaded, they would most readily accept of it in lieu of the land you sold them. If you add, also, the great sums you must expend in raising and paying armies, with a view to force us to yield you our country, you will certainly have more than sufficient for the purpose of repaying these settlers for all their labor and their improvements.

Brothers: You have talked to us about concessions. It appears strange that you should expect any from us who have only been defending our just rights against your invasions. We want peace. Restore to us our country and we shall be enemies no longer.

Brothers: You make one concession to us by offering us your money, and another by having agreed to do us justice, after having long and injuriously withheld it; we mean in the acknowledgment you now have made, that the King of England never did, nor never had a right to give you our country, by the treaty of peace. And you want to make this act of common justice a great part of your concessions, and seem to expect that, because you have at last acknowledged our independence, we should for such a favor, surrender to you our country.

Brothers: You have talked, also, a great deal about pre-emption, and your exclusive right to purchase Indian lands, as ceded to you by the king at the treaty of peace.

Brothers: We never made any agreement with the king, nor with any other nation, that we would give to either the exclusive right of purchasing our lands; and we declare to you that we consider ourselves free to make any bargain or cession of lands, whenever and to whomsoever we please. If the white people, as you say, made a treaty that none of them but the king should purchase of us, and that he has given that right to the United States, it is an affair which concerns you and him, and not us; we have never parted with such a power.

Brothers: At our general council, held at the Glaize last fall, we agreed to meet commissioners from the United States, for the purpose of restoring peace, provided they consented to acknowledge and confirm our boundary line to be the Ohio, and we determined not to meet you, until you gave us satisfaction on that point; that is the reason we have never met.

We desire you to consider, brothers, that our only demand is the peaceable possession of a small part of our once great country. Look back and review the lands from whence we have been driven to this spot. We can retreat no farther, because the country behind hardly affords food for its inhabitants; and we have, therefore, resolved to leave our bones in this small space to which we are now confined.

Brothers: We shall be persuaded that you mean to do us justice, if you agree that the Ohio shall remain the boundary line between us. If you will not consent thereto, our meeting will be altogether unnecessary. This is the great point which we hoped would have been explained before you

left your homes, as our message, last fall, was principally directed to obtain that information.

Done in general council, at the foot of the Maumee Rapids, the thirteenth day of August, 1793.

This communication closed the attempts of the United States to make peace. Wayne had pushed forward his preparations, but was still at "Hobson's choice," near Fort Washington. On the fifth of October, 1793, he wrote to the Secretary of War saying that he could not hope to have more than two thousand six hundred regular troops, three hundred and sixty mounted volunteers, and thirty-six guides and spies to go with him into the country of the enemy. Yet he was hopeful, and thought with this force he would conquer the enemy. On the seventh of the same month, the leigon left Cincinnati, and upon the thirteenth, without any accident, encamped in a strong position. Here, upon the twenty-fourth of October, he was joined by one thousand mounted Kentucky volunteers under Gen. Scott, to whom he had written pressing requests to hasten forward with all the men he could muster. This request Scott hastened to comply with, and the Governor, upon the twenty-eighth of September, had ordered, in addition, a draft of militia. The Kentucky troops, however, were soon dismissed again, until spring; but their march had not been in vain, for they had seen enough of Wayne's army to give them confidence in it and in him; and upon their return home, spread that confidence abroad, so that the full number of volunteers was easily procured in the spring.*

The troops had been attacked once previous to the twentythird of October, within seven miles of Fort St. Clair, and Lieut. Lowery and Ensign Boyd, with thirteen others, were killed. Although so little opposition had thus far been

*Western Annals.