The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1892-01-30
The Famous old COttOr wood. Where
the Fort Dearborn Massacre Be-
gan. is Dead.
The Terrible Fight With the Pottawa
f0mies in whose Territory the
Fort Stood.
The Garrison Deceived by the Indians
Placed Itself Under Their
Protection.

society, of all old settlers, and of al
citizens with a relic. preserving proclivit,
Is called to the fact that the old cotton
wood tree near George NJ. Pullman 5 barn
on Eighteenth street, between Prairie
avenue and the Illinois Central tracks. i
dead and is about to pass away.
The tree marks the spot at which be.
gan the most tragic event in Chicago
history-the massacre of the garrison o.
Fort Dearborn, in 1912. This claim is not
made recklessly and without reason. The
subject has often neen investigated and
the claim confirmed, the last time by
Captain A. L. Ankreas. when compiling
his History of Chicago" He secured
the statements OF Mrs. Juliette A. kinzie.
Mrs. Henry W. kinff. Hon. Isaac y.
| Arnold, A. j. Galloway, Charles Harpell.
Mrs. Mary Clark Williams, and a number
of others, whose recolections and opin.
ions are conclusive; and they all agree that
the commonly received tradition is correct.
On the other hand. no one mas disputed
its correctness
Ii seems that this tree il the survivor
OF a clump Of trees. which stood. not in
the mi!dlc ot the battlefield. which ex.
! tended much father t. the south, but at
/ tine point at which The fight began. II
! is a genuine reii, and has Leen an object
of sad and thrilling interest for eighty
years.
! Fort Dearborn was built in 1903 by
| Captain John Whistler and a company of
! United States regulars, iii consequence of
! the cession of "A tract of land six miles
! square, at the mouth of the river. oy the
Indians, Mt the treaty of GreenvilIe. Ohio,
brought abont by the victories of General
Anthony WAYNE. In 1910 Captain
Whistler was succeeded by Captain
| Nathan Heald. Tn" Uni I'd States de-
clared war against England on June Is,
1872. On August 9, an Indian runner
named Winnenieg, arrived at the tort
with dispatches from General Hail, at
Detroit, ordering Captain Heald To evac-
uat" the fort, and retreat BIZ land to
Detroit, and leaving the dispos ition of
the government property To his discretion.
This placed Captain Heaidi in a very
embarrassing position. The Pottawato-
mics, IN whose country the fort stood, had
become disaifected. through the intrigues
OF the English. and it was equally dan
gerous IT, please them or 10 displease
them. They soon learned that the ayac.
uatiou was to occur and that consider
able government property had to be lett
nehiId; and the expectation of plunder
drew about 500 or 600 of them TO the
neighborhood of the fort. What they
particularly wished to get hold of was the |
wh'skey and the ammunition.
Instead OF retreating as soon as he got
his orders, Captain Heald temporized |,
and wal Ell six days. He promised the |
Pottawatomies all the plunder in return |!
for an escort To Detroit Then he weak |
ened, ana destroyed all the whiskey and |
amla milton in the river. This gave !
great otfense to the indians, who, how
ever, concealed their wrath and pre-
tended to furnish the promised escort and |
protection.
The garrison consisted of Capt Heald, |
Lieutenant Helm, Ensign Roman, fifty |
four privates, twelve militia, twelve women
and twenty children. On August l3 they
were reinforced from Fort Wayne by |.
Captain Wells and thirty friendly Mian,is.
At ga. N. August Is. the gates were
thrown open and the entire party left the
fort and marched toward the south. Cap
tain Wells and fifteen Miamis formed the
van. then IN succession came the garrison,
/ n- other irteen Miamis. md last the So
called escort of 500 Pottawatomies. The
line of march lay close 10 the lake. and
was tianked on the west by sand hills,
which shut on: the view of the prairie.
The whites marched east of those sand
mills, but the Indians on tue west of
them.
When Captain Wells with his vanguard
reached the spot marked by the cotton
wood tree. he looked over the sand hill
and saw the Indians preparing tor an at
tack. He galioped back and gave the
alarm, and Captain Heald and his co,npa-
,.,,tt ,NaI tl3r IN Y
delivered voiey. The Miamis had fled.
and were never heard from again. but the
Po,ta w,ttonies closed in around the garri.
son and their flm.lies, and hand 10
hand conflict ensued, which soon became
II mere massacre.
After u terrible slaughter Captain Heaid
and the surviving whites gathered on a
knoll ont on the prairie. from which a par
ley with the Indians took place. The In
dians promised to spare their lives if they
woaia surrender. They surrendered, and
were saved. All tLat was left of the par
ty unhurt were twenty-five rou con.mis-
stoned officers and privates, and clever
women and children.
Nothing In the history Of CaiGa 20 is so
and tragic as this story, and it
Ii aOt surprising tnat the old tree which
is the only remaining relic Of the event,
should possess II great fascination for the
presen: generation. This tree seemed To
possess Considerable vitality until lately,
but ine pavings of the street shut OUT The
from its roots and it is now rap.
idly passing away.
No leaves adorned it last summer and
none will ever be seen on ii again. II is
in a state of decay. and high win Il may,
at any time, level i, to the ground.
Whether it should ~ strengthened and
preserved, or remove4 and more endnr.
ing monument of stone be put in us place,
is question: but all are agreed that one
or the other course should oe taken. Chi