States infantry, under the command of Major Floyd, flanked on the right by two companies of militia, and on the left by one company. The rear line was composed of a battalion of United States troops under the command of Capt. Bean, acting as Major, and four companies of militia infantry under Lieut.Col. Decker. The regular troops of this line joined the mounted riflemen under General Wells, on the left flank, and Col. Decker's battalion formed an angle with Spencer's company on the left. Two troops of dragoons, amounting, in the aggregate, to about sixty men, were encamped in the rear of the left flank, and Capt. Parke's troop, which was larger than the other two, in the rear of the front line.

For a night attack the order of encampment was the order of battle, and each man slept immediately opposite to his post in the line. In the formation of the troops, single file or Indian file was adopted, for the reason that in Indian warfare there is but little shock to resist, one rank being quite as effective as two; and, again, the extension of the lines is of great importance.

At this place they remained until the seventh of November, when about four o'clock in the morning, just after the governor had risen, the left flank was attacked by the enemy. But a signal gun was fired by the sentinels or by the guard in that direction, which made no resistance, abandoning their posts and fleeing into camp; and the first notice which the troops of that flank had of the danger, was from the yells of the savages within a short distance of the line. But even under these circumstances, the men were not wanting in courage and discipline. Such of them as were awake, or were easily awakened, seized their arms and took their stations; others which were more tardy, had to contend with the enemy in the doors of their tents. The storm first fell upon Capt. Barton's company of the fourth United States regiment, and Capt. Geiger's company of mounted riflemen, which formed the left angle of the rear line. The fire from the Indians was exceedingly severe, and men in these companies suffered considerably before relief could be brought to them. Some few Indians passed into the encampment near the angle, and one or two penetrated to

some distance before they were killed. All the other companies were formed for action before they were fired on.

The morning was dark and cloudy and the fires of the Americans afforded only a partial light, which gave greater advantage to the enemy than to the troops, and they were therefore extinguished. As soon as the governor could mount his horse he rode to the angle that was attacked, where he found that Barton's company had suffered severely and the left of Geiger's entirely broken. He immediately ordered Cook's and Wentworth's companies to march up to the centre of the rear line and form across the angle in support. His attention was then attracted by a heavy fire upon the left of the front line, where were stationed the small company of United States riflemen and the companies of Bean, Snelling and Prescott. As the General rode up he found Major Daviess forming the dragoons in the rear of those companies, and having ascertained that the heaviest fire proceeded from some trees about fifteen or twenty paces in front of those companies, he directed the Major to dislodge them with a part of the dragoons. Unfortunately the Major's gallantry caused him to undertake the execution of the order with a smaller force than was required, which enabled the enemy to avoid him in front and attack his flanks. The Major was mortally wounded and the party driven back.

The Indians were, however, immediately and gallantly dislodged from their advantageous position by Capt. Snelling, at the head of his company. In the course of a few minutes after the commencement of the attack, the fire extended along the left flank, the whole of the front, the right flank and part of the rear line. Upon Spencer's mounted riflemen and the right of Warwick's company, which was posted on the right of the rear line, it was excessively severe. Capt. Spencer and his first and second lieutenants were killed, and Capt. Warwick was mortally wounded, those companies, however, still bravely maintained their posts, but Spencer had suffered so severely, and having originally too much ground to occupy, Harrison reinforced them with Robb's company of riflemen, which had been driven, or by mistake ordered from their position on the

left flank, towards the centre of the camp, and filled the vacancy that had been occupied by Robb with Prescott's company of the Fourth United States regiment. The General's great object was to keep the lines entire, to prevent the enemy from breaking into the camp until daylight, which should enable him to make a general and effectual charge. With this view he had reinforced every part of the line that had suffered much, and with the approach of morning he withdrew from the front line Snelling's, Posey's and Scott's, and from the rear line Wilson's companies, and drew them up upon the left flank, and at the same time ordered Cook's and Bean's companies, the former from the rear, and the latter from the front line, to reinforce the right flank, forseeing that at these points the enemy would make their last efforts. Major Wells, who commanded on the left flank, took command of these companies and charged upon the enemy, driving them at the point of the bayonet into the marsh, where they could not be followed. Meanwhile Capt. Cook and Lieut. Barabee marched their companies to the right flank and formed them under the fire of the enemy, and being then joined by the riflemen of that flank, charged the enemy, killing a number of Indians and putting the rest to a precipitate flight.*

In this battle Gen. Harrison commanded only about seven hundred efficient men, while the Indians numbered nearly one thousand warriors. The loss of the American army was thirtyseven killed on the field, twenty-five mortally wounded and one hundred and twenty-six wounded; that of the Indians about forty killed on the spot, the number of wounded being unknown. The battle of Tippecanoe was fought on the seventh of November, 1811. It was a decisive victory for the United States, and for some time after the frontiers enjoyed peace.

* American State Papers.

CHAPTER XXXII.

TECUMSEH'S ANGER HE JOINS THE BRITISH · HULL'S INGLORIOUS CAMPAIGN SURRENDER OF DETROIT-SURRENDER OF MACKINAC TRIUMPHS OF THE BRITISH - HULL'S INCAPACITY.

WHILE the prophet was leading the confederated warriors to battle against Harrison's army near Tippecanoe, Tecumseh was absent among the Southern Indians for the purpose of bringing them into the confederacy. On his return a few days after Harrison's victory, he found, to his great dissatisfaction, that many of his followers had dispersed; that his brother had disgraced himself by his imprudence, and that his best hopes were destroyed. He was very angry at his brother, seized him by the hair, shook him violently and threatened to take his life. By his imprudence in attacking the American army at Tippecanoe the prophet had destroyed his own power and ruined the projected confederacy.

Tecumseh immediately sent word to Gov. Harrison that he had returned from the south, and that he was ready to visit the President as had been previously proposed. The Governor gave him permission to proceed to Washington, but not as the leader of a party of Indians, as he desired. The proud chief, who had appeared at Vincennes in 1810 with a large party of braves, had no desire to appear before his "Great Father," the President, without his retinue. The proposed visit was declined and the intercourse between Tecumseh and the Governor terminated. In June, he sought an interview with the Indian agent at Fort Wayne, disavowed any intention of making war on the United States, and reproached Gen. Harrison for having marched against his people during his absence. The agent replied to this; Tecumseh listened with frigid indifference, and after making a few general remarks with a haughty air, left

the council house and departed for, Fort Malden, in Upper Canada, where he joined the British standard.*

During the winter of 1811-12 we find the Congress of the United States discussing the subject of war with Great Britain. The reader is probably familiar with the causes which led to this. Even as early as December, 1811, a proposition was openly made to invade Canada in the following spring, before the ice broke up, and in particular was urged the necessity of such operations at the outset of the anticipated contest as should wrest from the enemy the command of the upper lakes and secure the neutrality or favor of the Indian tribes by the conquest of Upper Canada.

Measures were also taken for the defense of the Northwest frontier against Indian hostility, and which, in the event of a rupture with Great Britain, would enable the United States to obtain command of Lake Erie. These steps were, however, by no means suitable to the attainment of this object. In place of a naval force on Lake Erie, the importance of which had been frequently urged, the government proposed to use no other military means, and hoped, by the presence of two thousand soldiers, to effect the capture or destruction of the British fleet. When, therefore, Gen. Hull, to whom the command of the army destined for the conquest of Canada had been confided, commenced his march from Dayton, on the first of June, it was with means which he himself regarded as utterly inadequate to the object aimed at, a fact which sufficiently explains his vascillating, nerveless conduct. Through that whole month, he and his troops toiled on toward the Maumee, busy with their roads, bridges and block-houses. On the twenty-fourth, advices from the Secretary of War, dated on the eighteenth, came to hand, but not a word contained in them made it probable that the long expected war would be immediately declared, although Col. McArthur at the same time received word from Chillicothe warning him, on the authority of Thomas Worthington, then Senator from Ohio, that before the letter reached him, the declaration would have. been made public. This information McArthur laid before * Brown's History of Illinois.