Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1891-05-02
How the West was Saved.


.
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 10y some Eng
fish and Canadian traders. The
affair has been the occasion of many
conflicting statements as TO the time
il occurred, the number Of persons
killed and captured, and why il was
that SO large body of Indians came
so far and did SO little which was
war-like. Ii 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. Ii was here shown that
Clark and his men We're near az hand,
having hurried up from the Fails of
the Ohio for that purpose, and that
the ST. Louis raid was a part OF IA
much larger scheme, devised in Lon
don by Lord George Germain, Secre-
tary for the Colonies, for the COM
plcte capture Of the West from the
Spaniards aud the Nirginians. The
scheme was early discovered through
captured dispatches hy Clark, and
ay Galyez. thu Spanish Governor at
New Orleans: and tiulyrl responded
by capturing all the English posts on
the Mississisppi and later Mobile He
made preparation also for attacking
Pensacola This energetic action pre-
vented Gen. Campbell AT Pensacola,
from CARRYING ont his part ~ tho
Germuiu schrme, that Is. oi bringing
an English fleet and army up the
Mississippi To cooperate with the
I Indian expeditions coming down
from the North The Indians, when
/ they arrived before 81 i,ouir prohub-
| ~ heard for the first time 81 ne failure
OF ten. Campbcll'- plans, aud hence
! their undecisiye attack and speedy
return home, Tho proximity % Col.
Clark, for whom the Indians bad "a
mortal dread. doubtless contributed
to their decentralization The feeble
raid on st. Louis, therefore, wns au
event Of historical Importance us i
was the outcropping OF well-cou,
structed and duugrrou. project which
has hitherto escaped the uofirr 81
| historical writer's, and ifit had bsr.li
successfully carried out, would hnyt
been disastrous 10 the United States
| The writer Says:
"The scheme ndyisrl by Lord
George Grrinain for the cumplets
conquest IT the Ws.t-- 81 bringing
down large party Of Northwestern
Indians upon 81 Louis al sending
nm expedition from Detroit t0 iuynd,
Kentucky and keep Col stark busy
of bringing up the Mississippi IL
| Nltchcz, under Gen. Campbell, a ii.tl
and army, there 10 unite with IL,
| Northern expeditions and from
thence 10 capture the llliuotsruuutry
aui MI the Spanish settlements -
the river-waa from a military point
OF view au excellent on
and had every promise of sue
cess. 81. Louis wis in mo- condition
to resist an assault, and ruuk cow
urdice marked the conduit 81 thp
Governor and the frw soldiers sta
toned at the post when tho Indian
rnidcrs appeared The Illinois coun
try was very fccbly gnrriSuued, IN,
not u soldier or shilling had hsrt
contributed by the Continental ton
grcss for its conquest or defense Tn
scheme failed because Of the prompt
! ness and exceptional activity ~ III
| Spauiards under Gov. Ciulycz Hut
tho watchfulucss and energy 81 Col
i, Clark. II was the last concerted Il
fort Of Great Britain 80 rrguiu pns
session 81 the West. ~ the rumpnia1
Of Clinton and CORVALLIS. tho "a
1 pitulatiou ofthe lntter one year latc
3 mt Yorktown, was her expiring plfur
Z on the Atlantic cuast. tfthn West
/ ern scheme OF Gprmnin had been ~,
z ccs4ful the country north ofthe Ohi
!, river would have bccu q part of til
/, province of Quebec, and might hny
/ remained Canadian territory unit
Q this day. IN negotiating two d
: three years later the treaty OF pcnf
D with Great Britain under such al
r 2umstanccs, IT. il difficult to y
K what boundaries the United Stnt,
G could have secured. Spain therefor
s rendered an Invaluable service to III
r United States by enabling Georp
y Rogers Clark to hold with his vi
o GINA troops the country he had COZ
j quered from the British. until III
:, treaty of peace confirmed 10 the n.
, ton the mississippi river M it's ives
II ern boundary