The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1890-01-02
never aIlude to his marrow escape
from disgrace.-Blackstone in Chicac
go Times.
How the West was Saved,
W. F. Poole on Wilson's America.


W. F. Poole on Wilson's America
A new Interpretation is given to
the raid made on the Spanish post
of st. Louis, in May 1880, by fifteen
hundred Sioux and other northern
Indians, accompanied by some Eng
lish and Canadian traders. The
affair has been the occasion of many
conflicting statements as to the time
it occurred, the number of persons
killed and captured, and why it was
that so large body of Indians came
SO far and did so little which was
War-like. 1t has often been asserted,
and as often denied, that George
Rogers Clark was on the opposite
side of the river, near CahOkia, ready
to give aid to the spanish Governor
at ST. Louis. 1t was here shown that
Clark and his men were near at hand,
having hurried up from the Falls of
the Ohio for that purpose, and that
the st. Louis raid was a part of a
much larger scheme, devised in Lon
don by Lord George Germain, Secre-
tary for the Colonies, for the COM
plete capture of the West from the
Spaniards and the Virginians. The
scheme was early discovered through
captured dispatches by Clark, and
by Galvez, the Spanish Governor at
New Orleans; and Galvez responded
by capturing all the English posts on
the mississippi, and later Mobile. He
made preparation also for attacking
Pensacola. This energetic action pre-
vented Gen. Campbell, at Pensacola,
from carrying out his part of the
German scheme; that is, of bringing
an English fleet and army up the
Mississippi to cooperate with the
Indian expeditions coming down
from the North. The Indians, when
they arrived before st. Louis, prObab-
ly heard for the first time of the failure
of Gen. Campbell's plans, and hence
their undecisive attack and speedy
return home. The proximity Of Col.
Clark, for whom the Indians had q
mortal dread, doubtless contributed
to their Generalization. The feeble
raid on st. Louis, therefore, was an
event Of historical importance as it
was the outcrOpping Of a well-con-
structed and dangerous project which
has hitherto escaped the notice of
historical writer's; and if it had been
successfully carried out, would have
been disastrous to the United States
The writer says:
"The scheme advised by Lord
George Germain for the complete
conquest of the West-Of bringing
down a large party of Northwestern
Indians upon st. Louis; of sending
an expedition from Detroit to invade
Kentucky and keep Col. Stark busy;
of bringing up the Mississippi to
Natchez, under Gen. Campbell, a feet
and army, there to unite with the
Northern expeditions, and from
thence to capture the Illinois country,
and all the Spanish settlements on
the river-Was from a military point
of view an excellent one
and had every promise of sue
cess. st. Louis was in no condition
to resist an assault, and rank cow
ardice marked the conduct of the
Governor and the few soldiers sta
toned at the post when the Indian
raiders appeared. The Illinois coun-
try was very feebly garrisoned, and
not a soldier or a shilling had been
contributed by the Continental Con-
gress for its conquest or defense. The
scheme failed because Of the prompt
ness and exceptional activity of the
Spaniards under Gov. Galvez and
the Watchfulness and energy of Col.
Clark. 1t was the last concerted eff
fort of Great Britain to regain pos
session of the West; as the campaign
of Clinton and CORVALLIS, the CO.
pitulatiOn Ofthe latter one year later
at Yorktown, was her expiring effort
on the Atlantic coast. If the West
ern scheme Of German had been sue
cessful, the country north ofthe Ohio
river would have been a part of the
province Of Quebec, and might have
remained Canadian territory until
this day. in negotiating two or
three years later the treaty of peace
with Great Britain under such cir
cumstances, it is difficult to see
what boundaries the United States
could have secured. Spain therefore
rendered an invaluable service to the
United States by enabling George
Rogers Clark to hold with his Viz
ginia troops the country he had con-
quered from the British, until the
treaty fpeace confirmed to the ma
ton the Mississippi river as it's west
ern boundary"