Southern shield., 1840-03-28
MEMOIR OF WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON.
 BY JAMES HALL &
CHAPTER K.


 flost;lites mmenced-Cfovernor llarrl- son directed to march against the proph-
 cts Town.
 ' in lcll- tie near approaCh oi wur De- tween the United States and Great Bratain rendered Tecumthe and his brother more audacious than ever They begun to as sefnble t new body of warriors near pro phets Town; the imposter practised his li- fernal incaEtatons with great industry. and his gift oi prophecy renewed itself with ll- yigornted fecundity. marauding parties mo wed more frequently than ever towards fhe setteneDts; and q number of murders were committed on the frontiers of Illinois and Indiana These circumstances mdu- led the governor to place the territory in Rhc best posture oi defence which his llnl- ted sources would admit, and he was soon after at his own earnest instance. and the repeatel- petitions ol the people. directed bY the President tc move wItii an armed to.ee | towurds the Prophets town. But he was inperatively commanded to avoid hostilities "of any kind. to any degree not ndispensa- biv required.
 The situation of the commander thus ordered 10 the field with a limited discretion W whiIr. it placed has own troops in constant jeopardy, was by no means enviabie. At ,he head oi undisciplincd troops always difficult to control, and now panting for re- venre. continued exertion of prudence was required, to restrain their impatience, Before him was q numurols army prepar- ed for war. and led by an accomplished \ leader, behind him long line of scattered settlements, the safety of which depended cn his success. With the conviction found ed of. evidence that could scarcely be de ceptive. that a battle must be fought, the eveut of which must decide the fate of de fenceiess woman and children, he was shackIed by instructions which gave to his foe the important advantage of choosing the time and place Of attack, of selecting his own ground, and striking the first blow. He was to fight when attacked, but not till then4-when the prophet should decide the propitiots hour had arrived--whcn- the sa, wage chieftain should have matured his plan--and the shadows of the forest should be deepened by the gloom of moonless night
 When the news reached Kentucky, that Governor Harrison was authorised to march against the Indians. the public mind was excited to enthusiasm. So many years had been spent in suffering, so long had the Indians and their British allies devastated the frontier that an opportunity of ven yeance was hailed with universal acclama $ ton. The name of Harrison excited con fidence and expectation. The western E people had long witnessed his sterling pat riotisn,, his unyielding intrepidity, his untir- 4 ing industry in the public service; and vol unteers at once announcedtheir readiness to follow to his standard. Many of them wereHf high standing formitary and civil character. Of this number were General Samuel Wells of the militia, who had been actively engaged ill the former wars with the Indians-Joseph H. Daviess, an emin- cnt lawyer, and man of extraordinary ta- Tents, tIoquence and popularity Abraham Owen, a veteran warrior in lndi- an warfare-and Colonel Guiger. who raised Ia small company of young men near Louisville; in this army also were Croghan, O'Fallon. Shipp, Cheem and Ed wards, who afterwards distinguished them selves as officers in the army of the United { States,
 The 4th regiment of United States in- fantry. commanded by Colonel Boyd, was rlaced nnder the orders of Governor Harri son, at his request sand the army then Aconsistesd of little more than nine hundred men. of whom about three hundred and fiji Y wer,s infantry of the regular service
 nd the remainder volunteer militia, of hom illc chief portion were from Indiana