The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-10-08
INDIANA AS A TERRITORY.
A Pioneers Recollection of Events of
the Early Part of the Century.
Gen. Harrison's War with the Great Chief
Tecumseh-Rev L. Fl. Jameson's Ad-
dress Before the Tippecanoe Club.

son was the principal speaker. At the conelu-
sion of his address he sang, Gathering Home"
of which he is the composer. General Harrison
will be the speaker for the next meeting to be
held in the mayors court room on the afternoon
of the first Wednesday in November On mo-
ton Of one of the members vote was taken,
which was unanimous, asking that the address
and song be given the papers. In substance Mr..
Jameson said:
"Mr. President, and members Of the Tippe-
canoe Club owing to the fact that my sight has
failed me very much within the past two weeks,
and my constant employment in travel, have
not been able to prepare anything for the present
occasion, and would not have been able to read
it if had, and snail, therefore, have to depend
on my memory entirely. and shall give you a
few personal "reminiscences of the early settling
of the State and the men who settled it. Gen.
Wm Henry Harrison was appointed first Cover
nor of the Territory of Indiana, in 1901, hence
the age of State may be properly stated by the
years of the century, its territorial life being
what may be called its minority. Harrison held
this position for ten years. In the spring of
1911 he held council with Tecumseh,
at Vincennes at which he endeavor
ing to secure the safety from Indian
of the Ohio river throughout the extent
OF that border. The old Indian chief was very
defiant, and Harrison was equally firm. About
the time of this conference a Shawnee chief.
son that before popular leaves were as large as
squirrels ears the white population of the Ter
rtory would be massacred or driven across the
Ohio river. The entire country from Jefferson
vile to the mouth of the Miami was inhabited by
large number of Indians, on account of the game,
which was very abundant The hills and the
flats furnished pasturage for the deer and other
game, while the bottoms furnished
beautiful little spots for the wigwams and corn
patches Of the Indians 1t will thus be seen
that the settlers were right the frontier and
right among the aborgines General Harrison
discovered that hostile intentions were enter
tanned by Tecumseh. He therefore determined
to 60 to the Shawnee towns on the Tippecanoe
with an armed force, and obtain such
terms would safety to
the settlers. He sent colonel's
commission to VIM. Mcfarland of Madison,
with orders to raise territorial regiment to
accompany him on that expedition Mcfarland
issued draft which took all the men of the
country, with the exception of old gentleman
or two, too old to be drafted, ordering them to
rendezvous at Col. Sam Smocks four miles west
of Hanover, early in August 1911. Christopher
Harrison, a cousin of the Governor, then living
at the Backbone, near Cooper's ferry, three
miles below Madison, immediately by messenger
notified the Governor, at Vincennes, that if
Mcfarland took the regiment to Vincennes
the and children of the settlement
would be left utterly unprotected against the
Indians. The Governor, by return messenger
ordered Mcfarland to dishand his regiment and
medately done. The Governor, with force of
about 900 men, at once set out for Tippecanoe,
and fought the battle that has since become fam
Gus. on the 7th of the following November. This
battle was fought contrary to the wishes of Te-
cumseh, who Immediately after the conference
before referred to at Vincennes had gone south
for the purpose of uniting the southern tribes
with the northern in general war against the
whites.
1.-THE battle of Tippecanoe frustrated the de-
signs of the great Indian chief in some degree,
and compelled Tecumseh to fall back from the
Ohio and unite with the British forces in what
is called the war of 1872 1t secured. however
the safety to some extent, of the settlers along
the shores of the Ohio.
"Block houses were built, and the families of
the settlers were protected from the Indian
a greater battle than many others
il which General Harrison was en-
gagged, but was found some thirty years
after very powerful incident in the
military career in the life of the Governor
of the Territory for his elevation to the Presi-
dency. During all the intervening years it was
seldom spoken of except to be criticised; some
times tavorably and sometimes unfavorably.
BY some it was said that the Governor allowed
the indians to pick his camping ground. and
that the battle was little short of defeat
Others insisted that the camp ground was we'll
selected, and that victory gained, which
seems to be the better view, for the next day.
when Harrison went to the towns, two miles dis
tant the Indians had all decamped.
Il wish to say in relation to the early settlers
| of this country that they were not the rough,
| uncultivated men that are spoken of sometimes
as the pioneers of country A large proportion
of them were religious men. Many of them
from the South, who were opposed to slavery,
settled in the Territory for the purpose of being
able to raise their families beyond the influences
of the institution of human bondage. Others
from the East, with full appreciation of the
social institutions that they LETT behind came to
the West to lay the foundations of a
new Commonwealth in education, religions
and morality, and the whole Common
wealth we have to-day is but the legti-
mate fruit of their noble endeavors. / cannot
forbear calling attention for moment to Gov.
Harrison. Whatever the Governors faults may
, have been, he was certainly patriot and in the
common transactions of public life an honest
man. He was generally held in high esteem by
the early settlers of the Territory.
1.-The first settlements made along the
streams putting into the Ohio river south Of
Laughery, aud of the watershed dividing the
waters of the Ohio from the White river Those
high lands were cut in deepravines by the streams,
thus dividing the neighborhoods SO that little
| intercourse was had between them. This made
the communities small, and rendered the estab-
lshment of schools for the education of the
children difficult. The consequence was that
schools did not appear in the country to any ex-
tent before the year 1918 About that time free
schools began to be advocated. and the founda-
| tons of our present free-schoo system were then
laid. Here the speaker mentioned the names
of many persons who took prominent parts in
| the establishment of the State government
"We may rest assured that the men of the
present gener alton have little idea of the difficult
ties that the men Of those days encountered and
overcame in founding our State. Our club is
appropriately and worthily named the Tippeca-
noe Club. and am sometimes astonished when
/ think of the Territory that not able to
raise a single regiment seventy-four years ago
to 60 with Governor Harrison to the battle of
Tippecanoe. In half century after, as State.
| she raised $50 regiments for the war Of the re-
| bellion.
Dense forests of sturdy oaks and impenetra-
BILE tangle-wood have become fruitful fields, and
| extensive levels in those regions that were
| deemed by the early settlers of little value are
| now becoming the most beautiful farms in Indi-
l Whara tho IlaAian than mod n &C