Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1923-09-06

rior of the Long Knives" By concerted action
they could wipe out his scanty force in twin
king. Clark met them in council at Cahoka with
stern and lofty dignity He showed no fear. He
gave indication of desire for friendship He
laid before them war-belt and peace-belt and
told them to take their choice In short this young
leader of backwoods militia bufed the great crowd
of RESTLESS bIoodthirstv British savages to
standstill. One chief after another and made
submissive speeches. Clark refused to smoke the
peacepipe with any till he had heard from all and
the treaties were concluded. These proceedings
lasted five weeks and their influence EXTENDED to
all the tribes around the Great Lakes. Clark had
no further trouble with the Illinois Indians
Virginia. which then claimed all this REGION i'm
medately clinched Clarks victory by creating the
County of Illinois," Col John Todd, as County
Lieutenant" took possession, set up a capital at
Kaskaskia in May of ITO and established COM
plete civil government.
Cahokia also figures large in an ambitious plan
by the British cabinet in 1880 to capture New Or
leans, the Spanish posts west of the Mississippi
and the Illinois Country. War had been declared
May s, 1879, between Spain and Great Britain.
May 90, 1850, a raid was made on ST. Louis, the
Spanish headquarters, by a force of no English
and Canadian traders and 1900 Indians, fitted out
by Lieutenant Colonel Sinclair of Michilmacnac
(Mackinac) and led by a Sioux chief named Wa
basha A portion of the party crossed the river
and rafded Cahokia Snclar's official report says
"At Pencour est. Louis) 6S we're killed, and 7S
blacks and white people taken prisoners; 43 scalps
were brought in. The rebels lost an officer and
three men at Cahokia, and five prisoners
Suddenly, without pressing the assault, the en-.
tire party decamped and scattered. They had
discovered that Clark had returned in haste from
Kentucky and was at hand, prepared to aid the
Spanish The very name of Clark was terror
to the Indians. A high wind prevented signals
from being heard; otherwise Clark would have had
hand in the hostities.
This attack was part of general plan devised
by Lord George German for the complete con-
quest of the West Features of this plan were to
bring down a force of Northwestern Indians on ST.
Louis; to, send an expedition from Detroit to in
wade Kentucky and keep Clark busy; to bring a
fleet and army up the Mississippi under General
Campbell to unite with the northern expedition
The plan was a good one 1t failed in part be-
cause Governor Galvez of New Orleans got busy,
licked the British and captured their posts along
the lower Mississippi and at Mobile and Pensa
COLA 1t also failed because Clark blocked the prog
ress of the northern expedition and also brought
to naught the expedition from Detroit to Kentucky
under Captain Byrd.
If this British plan of conquest had been sue
cessful the country north of the Ohio and west
of the Mississippi would have thereupon become a
part Of the Province of Quebec.
Clarl's brilliant exploits in ITS and 1870 there
fore have a place Of Importance in American his
tory that cannot be overestimated. They enabled
the new nation Of the United States in the peace
negotiations successfully to insist upon the Mis-
sissippi as its western boundary as against the
British contention of the Alleghanies
With the Mississippi and the Ohio carrying their
trade to the Gulf the American people could not
rest until New Orleans was an open port to them
This desire of the frontier brought about the
Louisiana Purchase of 1903 And with the conti-
nent theirs from the Atlantic to the Rockies the
march to the Pacific became matter of course.