Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1832-04-18

Father! You have got the arms and ammunl-
ton. which our great Father sent for his red
children. Ii YOU have an idea of going away,
give them to US, and you may 90 and welcome
for US. Our lives are IN the hands OF the Ureat
Spirit,-we are determined to defend our lands,
aud # it be his will we wish to leave our bones
upon them
This celebrated speech is probably as good
speclmen as any Oh record, OF the etoque.ce Oi
Tecumseh. 1t was a natural eloquence, cha
racteristic, as all natural eioquence must be,
of the qualities Of the man. AS CharleVoiX
saws of the Canadian savages, it was such as the
Greeks admired in the barbarlans, strong,
stern. sententious, pointed, perfectly undissuls-
ed. 1t abounded with figures and with graphic
touches. imprinted by single effort Of memory
or imagination, but answering all the purposes
of detailed description, without lis tedlousness
or weakness. The President was drinking his
wine in his town. while Tecumseh and Harrison
were fighting It out over the mountains.-Ihe
Indians were hallooed upon the Americans, like
pack of starved houpds. The British nation
was our great Father, and our great Father was
laid fiat on his back So the policy oil the Unit
ed States, in exteE ling their settlements. was
mighty water, and the scheme of common pro-
perty in the tribes, was dam TO resist 1T le-
cumseh belonged to a nation, noted, as Hecke-
weIder describes Them for much talk;' and
he was himself never at a loss tor words He
was countryman of Logan too, and he reason
ed and felt like him. His whole. time and tai
ents were devoted to the cause Of Indian indie
penden ce, and when he spoke upon this theme.
as he generally did IN pnblic, his hne counte-
nance lighted up; his firm and erect frame swell
led with deep emotion. which scarcely his own
stern dignity could Suppress; every posture
and gesture had Its meaning; and language flow
ed burning and swift from the passion fountain
of the soul.
We have drawn the portrait of this eminent
chieftain hitherto, only so far as to sketch some
of thuse strongly marked lineaments, by which he
was best known to his contemporaries, and by
which he will be longest remembered. But there
was something more in his character, than strong
savage talent and savage feeling. Injured and
irrtated as he often was, and constantly as he
kept himself excited by an interest in the fate OF
his countrymen, and by the agitation OF his own
schemes, there is no evidence either of coarseness
in his manners, or of cruelty in his conduct
For reasons easily to be imagined, he regarded
Governor Harrison with less partiality, than
most other individual Americans; and hence, the
British General is said to have stipulated early
in the war, that the Governor, # taken prisoner,
should be his captive. But he is understood to
have always treated that gentleman with such
courtesy, that we apprehend, had this casuS fe-
deris unfortunately occurred, he would have glo-
red ONLY in conveying him off the battlefield in
the manner of the Black Prince, and IN setting
before him, with the royal munifcence of Mas
sasoit, all the dry pease in his wigwam. When
the governor proposed to him. OH his first visit IN
ViGcenues in 1910. that, IN the event of war.
he would as far as possible put stop to the cru
elites which the Indians were accustomed to IN.
flict upon women and children, and Others, no
longer in situation to reslst,-he readily gave
his assent to the proposition. and vulunarlypledg-
ed himself 10 adhere to II. There Is reason to
believe, that he remembered this promise; aud
that, amidst temptations and provocations,
mans would be inclined to add. examples, from
an authority he might have been supposed to re-
spect,-of an extraordinary nature. In one OF
the sorties from Fort Mpigs, hundred or more
of the American garrison were taken prisoners.
and put into Fort Miami Here, McAtee and
Others relate that the British Indians garnished
the surrounding rampant, and amused themselves
BY loading and firing at the crowd within or az
particular individuals. This proceeding is said
to have continued nearly two hours, during which
time twenty of the unfortunate prisoners we're
UdssdSteu luz tHtoJo 'C'Vs az tIS oo"S """3
holding council to determine the fate Of The
residue. A blood thirsty mob of cat-throat Pota-
watamies were warmly in favor of despatcnIng
them all, on the spot. while the Wyandots and
Mamies opposed that course. The former pre-
vailed; and had already Systematically commence
ed the work of destruction, when recumseh. des-
crying them from the batteries, came down
among them, reprimanded the rlngleaders for
their dastardly barbarIty in numbering defence
less csptives in cold blood, and thus saved the
lives of considerable number. That all this
was done by express permission of the English
commander, and IN presence of the English ar
N.Y. as is farther stated, it does not belong to US,
in the pursuit OF our present subject, either to
sert or prove IL there be any truth in the charge,
or in 1.-THE of those of the same character which
have been brought against the same party, the
sooner the veil Of oblivion is dropped over them,
the better
On the whole. the character of Tecumseh. in
whatever light it may be viewed. must be regard
ed as remarkable in the highest degree. That
h, proyod hi,nc off unrthy of his rank a. r,pa