be attempted. The remainder on duty lay on their arms; and, for the first time for many days past, got some rest. * * * During the siege I got only one man wounded: not being able to lose many, I made them secure themselves well. Seven were badly wounded in the fort, through ports. * * * Almost every man had conceived a favorable opinion of Lieutenant-governor Hamilton-I believe what affected myself made some impression on the whole-and I was happy to find that he never deviated, while he stayed with us, from that dignity of conduct that became an officer in his situation. The morning of the 25th approaching, arrangements were made for receiving the garrison, [which consisted of seventy-nine men,] and about ten o'clock it was delivered in form; and every thing was immediately arranged to the best advantage. * * On the 27th our galley arrived, all safe—the crew much mortified, although they deserved great credit for their diligence. They had, on their passage, taken up William Myres, express from government. The dispatches gave much encouragement: our own battalion was to be completed, and an additional one to be expected in the course of the spring."

CHAPTER XV.

CAPTURE OF BRITISH GOODS ON THE WABASH.

ON the day after the surrender of the British garrison at Post Vincennes, Colonel Clark sent a detachment of sixty men up the river Wabash to intercept some boats which were laden with provisions and goods from Detroit. The detachment, under the command of Captain Helm, Major Bosseron, and Major Legras, proceeded up the river, in three armed boats, about one hundred and twenty miles, when the British boats, seven in number, were surprised and captured without firing a gun. These boats, which had on board about ten thousand pounds worth of goods and provisions, were manned by about

forty men, among whom was Philip Dejean, a magistrate of Detroit.

"The provisions," says Clark, "were taken for the public, and the goods divided among the whole, except about £800 worth to clothe the troops we expected to receive in a short time. This was very agreeable to the soldiers, as I told them that the State should pay them in money their proportions, and that they had great plenty of goods. * * * We yet found ourselves uneasy. The number of prisoners we had taken, added to those of the garrison, was so considerable when compared to our own numbers, that we were at a loss how to dispose of them, so as not to interfere with our future operations. Detroit opened full in our view. In the fort at that place there were not more than eighty men-a great part of them invalids—and we were informed that many of the principal inhabitants were disaffected to the British cause. The Indians on our route we knew would now more than ever be

cool toward the English. * * * We could now augment our forces in this quarter to about four hundred men, as near half the inhabitants of Post Vincennes would join us. Kentucky, we supposed, could immediately furnish two hundred men, as there was a certainty of receiving a great addition of settlers in the spring. With our own stores, which we had learned were safe on their passage, added to those of the British, there would not be a single article wanting for an expedition against Detroit. We privately resolved to embrace the object that seemed to court our acceptance, without delaygiving the enemy no time to recover from the blows they had received: but we wished it to become the object of the soldiery and the inhabitants before we should say any thing about it. It immediately became the common topic among them; and in a few days they had arranged things, so that they were, in their imaginations, almost ready to march. They were discountenanced in such conversation, and such measures were taken as tended to show that our ideas were foreign from such an attempt; but at the same time we were taking every step to pave our way.

"The quantity of public goods brought from Detroit added to the whole of those belonging to the traders of Post Vincennes, that had been taken, was very considerable. The

whole was divided among the soldiery, except some Indiar. medals that were kept, in order to be altered for public use. The officers received nothing, except a few articles of clothing that they stood in need of. The soldiers got almost rich. Others envied their good fortune, and wished that some enterprise might be undertaken, to enable them to perform some exploit. Detroit was their object. The clamor had now got to a great hight; to silence it, and to answer other purposes, they were told that an army was to march the ensuing summer from Pittsburg to take possession of Detroit. * * * *

"On the 7th of March, Captains Williams and Rogers set out by water with a party of twenty-five men, to conduct the British officers to Kentucky; and, farther to weaken the prisoners eighteen privates were also sent. After their arrival at the Falls of the Ohio, Captain Rogers had instructions to superintend their route to Williamsburg, to furnish them with all necessary supplies on their way, and to await the orders of the governor.*

"Poor Myres, the express, who set out on the 15th, got killed on his passage, and his packet fell into the hands of the enemy; but I had been so much on my guard, that there was not a sentence in it that could be of any disadvantage to us for the enemy to know; and there were private letters from soldiers to their friends, designedly wrote to deceive in case of such accidents. This was customary with us, as our expresses were frequently surprised. I sent a second dispatch to the governor, giving him a short but full account of what had passed, and our views. I sent letters to the commandant of Kentucky, directing him to give me a certain but private account of the number of men he could furnish in June."

Early in the month of March, "I laid before the officers my plans for the reduction of Detroit, and explained the almost

*On the advice of his council, the governor of Virginia, on the 18th of June, 1779, ordered Hamilton, Lamotte, and Dejean, to be "put into irons, confined in the dungeon of the public jail, debarred the use of pen, ink and paper, and excluded all converse except with their keeper." On the 29th of September, 1779, an order was issued by the governor to send the said prisoners to Hanover courthouse, there to remain, on their parole, within certain reasonable limits. Orders were also issued to send Major John Hay, under parole, to the same place.-JEFFERSON'S CORRESPONDENCE, i, 455.

certainty of success, and the probability of keeping possession of it until we could receive succor from the States. If we awaited the arrival of the troops mentioned in the dispatches from the governor of Virginia, the enemy, in the mean time, might get strengthened; and probably we might not be so capable of carrying the [post] with the expected reinforcement, as we should be with our present force, in case we were to make the attempt at this time; and in case we should be disappointed in the promised reinforcement, we might not be able to affect it at all. There were various arguments made use of on this delicate point. Every person seemed anxious to improve the present opportunity; but prudence appeared to forbid the execution, and induced us to wait for the reinforcement. The arguments that appeared to have the greatest weight were, that with such a force we might march boldly through the Indian nations; that it would make a great [impression] on them, as well as the inhabitants of Detroit, and have a better effect than if we were now to slip off, and take the place with so small a force; that the British would not wish to weaken Niagara by sending any considerable reinforcements to Detroit; that it was more difficult for that post to get succor from Canada than it was for us to receive it from the States; that the garrison at Detroit would not be able to get a reinforcement in time to prevent our executing our designs, as we might with propriety expect ours in a few weeks. In short, the enterprise was deferred until the of June, when our troops were to rendezvous at Post Vincennes. In the mean time, every preparation was to be made, procuring provisions, etc.; and, to blind our designs, the whole, except a small garrison, should march immediately to the Illinois; and orders were sent to Kentucky to prepare themselves to meet at the appointed time. This was now our proposed plan, and directed our operations during the spring.

"A company of volunteers from Detroit, mostly composed of young men, was drawn up; and when expecting to be sent off into a strange country, they were told that we were happy to learn that many of them were torn from their fathers and mothers, and forced on this expedition; others, ignorant of the true cause in contest, had engaged from a principle that actuates a great number of men-that of being fond of enterprise;

but that they now had a good opportunity to make themselves fully acquainted with the nature of the war, which they might explain to their friends; and that as we knew that sending them to the States, where they would be confined in a jail probably for the course of the war, would make a great number of our friends at Detroit unhappy, we had thought proper, for their sakes, to suffer them to return home, etc. A great deal more was said to them on this subject. On the whole, they were discharged on taking an oath not to bear arms against America until exchanged. They received an order for their arms, boats, and provisions, to return with; the boats were to be sold and divided among them when they got home. In a few days they set out; and as we had spies who went among them as traders, we learned that they made great havoc to the British interest on their return to Detroit-publicly saying that they had taken an oath not to fight against Americans, but they had not sworn not to fight for them, etc.; and matters were carried to such a hight, that the commanding officer thought it prudent not to take notice of any thing that was said or done. Mrs. McComb, who kept a noted boardinghouse, I understand, had the assurance to show him the stores she had provided for the Americans. This was the completion of our design in suffering the company to return. Many others that we could trust, we suffered to enlist in the cause; so that our charge of prisoners was much reduced.

"I had yet sent no message to the Indian tribes, wishing to wait to see what effect all this would have on them. The Piankeshaws, being of the tribe of the Tobacco's son, were always familiar with us. Part of the behavior of this grandee, as he viewed himself, was diverting enough. He had conceived such an inviolable attachment for Captain Helm, that on finding that the captain was a prisoner, and not being as yet able to release him, he declared himself a prisoner also. He joined his brother, as he called Captain Helm, and continually kept with him, condoling their condition as prisoners in great distress at the same time wanting nothing that was in the power of the garrison to furnish. Lieutenant-governor Hamilton, knowing the influence of Tobacco's son, was extremely jealous of his behavior, and took every pains to gain him by presents, etc. When any thing was presented to him,