sword and met the grim savages with an undaunted front. The friendly chief Winnemack, cocked a pistol which he held in his hand. A considerable number of the citizens of Vincennes were present, all unarmed. Close at hand, however, there was a guard, composed of a sergeant and twelve men, who were immediately brought up by an officer. The savages quailed beneath the prompt and steady valour of Harrison. Tecumseh had expected an easy victim; but he found the Governor, although surrounded and surprised, as immovable as the earth on which he stood-equally incapable of rash violence or cowering fear, The moral influence of

Harrison's position, and his unblenching front, subdued this wild son of the woods. He told Tecumseh that he was a bad man, and he would have no further intercourse with him; and directed him to retire to his

camp,

and set out immediately on his return home..

As the Indians with Tecumseh greatly outnumbered the citizens of the town and the regular troops there, two companies of militia were brought in during the night, and a large number the next day. Early, however, on the following morning, Tecumseh sent for the interpreter, apologised for his treachery, and earnestly requested that he might have another conference with the Governor. His request was at length granted; but the Governor took care to be attended by a number of his friends, well armed, and to have the troops in the town ready for action. In his speech on this occasion, Tecumseh' said that he had been advised by some white persons to act as he had done at the former interview; but that it was not.

l his intention to offer any violence to the Governor. Harrison then inquired whether he had any other grounds for claiming the lands. He answered that he had not. Governor Hara rison then remarked to him, that so great a warrior should disdain to conceal his intentions; and desired to know whether he really designed to wage a war against the United States, if the lately purchased lands were not relinquished by them. He answered, that it was decidedly his determination, and that he would never bury the hatchet or intermit his labours, until he united all the tribes upon the continent into one grand confederacy, and the pale faces were compelled to yield to his demands. The council here ended, and Tecumseh withdrew.

CHAPTER III.

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Combination of Hostile Indians on the Western Frontier-Insidious policy of

Great Britain—Approach of war, and opposition to it-Harrison prepares for the contest-Embodies a force and marches into the Indian Territory—Reaches the Prophet's town—Treachery of the Prophet-Anecdote of General HarrisonBATTLE OF TIPPECANOE—Heroism of Harrison in the Battle–Testimonials of popular gratitude Testimony of the illustrious Madison, &c.—Effects of the victory of Tippecanoe Difficulties between England and the United States.

"IMMEDIATELY after the council of Vincennes, the sagacious and blood-thirsty Tecumseh entered vigorously on the fulfilment of his menace made to Governor Harrison. It was his intention to avoid all hostilities with the whites, until he should effect a combination strong enough to resist them, or until the expected war with Great Britain should commence.* For this purpose he visited all the Northern and Southern tribes. His purpose was thwarted, however, by the watchful and gallant Harrison.

In the year 1811, it became obvious that the cloud of war which had so long darkened our Western frontier, must shortly burst, and pour its contents of fury and desolation upon the unprotected settlers.

The insidious enmity of the Indians, which had been kept alive and nourished so long by the sinister policy of England, began to assume a bolder aspect. Their murinurs were changed into threats, their complaints to vows of vengeful retribution. Great Britain also had strengthened the posts which she had retained in her possession, contrary to all good faith, and had placed Canada in a state of defence. Her outrages upon our commerce had become such as a brave nation could no longer palliate or excuse. The patience of the American people became at length exhausted; and throughout her wide domain, the DEMOCRACY of the land demanded a vindication of their rights. The prospect of war was viewed with enthu siasm in the West.

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Opposed to the DemocrACY OF TIIE COUNTRY, were a few discontented and restless spirits, who did every thing to weaken and cripple the administration of Mr. MADISON, that a stubborn enforcement of their fallacious objections to a redress of our NATIONAL Wrongs, could accomplish. They stigmatised such men as JEFFERSON, MADISON, HARRISON, and JACKSON, as paid emissaries of Napoleon-sought to excite popular prejudice against them-to create a sympathy in behalf of England, whom they styled our “kind mother” and the “bulwark of our religion,” and to precipitate the nation into a war with France, our ancieni ally, who had come to our aid in the dreariest hour of the Revolution. And when our country, roused by a sense of accumulated wrongs and injuries, became engaged in the second war of independence, struggling for her honour and her rights with a powerful foe, MARTIN VAN BUREN was found associated with those who endeavoured to, distract and divide the democratic party, by introducing De Witt Clinton as a candidate for the Presidency, in opposition to the patriotic Madison.

But all these efforts proved unavailing. The People, lashed into phrensy at the accumulated outrages of Britain, demanded of their Representatives an immediate commencement of hostilities.

GOVERNOR HARRISON, always foremost in the hour of his country's danger, applied to PRESIDENT MADISON for authority to prepare the Frontier for the approaching contest, stating to him the efforts of Tecumseh who was leagued with the British, and what would be the disastrous consequences of his design was permitted to be inatured. An armed force was instantly furnished him from Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, but he was ordered to abstain from hostilities, of any kind whatever, and to any degree not indispensably required.'

A more disadvantageous and trying position than that which Harrison occupied, cannot well be conceived. Before him, was arranged his enemy in open preparation for battle; behind him, lay a defenceless population, from which all the able-bodied men had been drafted, or had volunteered to form the army: on the right and left, stretched the forest, which it was impossible to guard, and through which the foe could, at any mo

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ment, fall back upon the unprotected settlers in the rear, and carry the torch and knife to the home and throats of every family. General Harrison had not the authority to attack. Until blood had stained the tomahawk, or the victim had writhed beneath the torture, he could not even unsheath his sword. Every advantage was conferred upon the enemy. In the defile of the mountain, on the plain, by night or by day, in detachments, or en masse, he might come on, when, where, and as he chose. But a brief period elapsed before the grossest outrages upon the settlers, afforded abundant cause to strike.

The genius of Harrison—"THE MAN WHO NEVER LOST A BATTLE," who has never yielded to his country's foes, was equal to this crisis; and by a master stroke of policy, he conquered every disadvantage, and moved down with an army of eight hundred men, upon the Prophet's town, where all the hostile Indians were assembled, and before Tecumseh had returned from his visit to the Southern Tribes.

As soon as it was known in Kentucky, that Harrison was authorized to march with an army against the Indians, a number of volunteers were eager to join his standard. Many of them were men of high standing at home, as military, civil and literary characters. Of this number were Samuel Wells, a Major General in former Indian wars; Joseph H. Davies, an eminent lawyer of great military ambition; Col. Owen, a veteran in the Indian war, Colonel Keiger and Messrs. Croghan, O'Fallon, Thipp, Chum and Edwards, who afterwards distinguished themselves as officers of the army of the United States.

In the latter part of September, 1811, Governor Harrison commenced his march up the Wabash, with a force of about eight hundred efficient mens The militia, who were all volunteers, had been trained with great assiduity and labour by the Governor in person. Conformably to his orders from the President, he halted within the boundary of the United States, and endeavoured, by the intervention of the Delaware and Miami tribes, to induce the Prophet, Tecumseh's brother, to deliver up the murderers, and the many horses which had been stolen from the white settlers. These messengers of peace werç received and treated with great insolence by the Prophet and his council, and their demands rejected with disdain. To put

an end to all hopes of accommodation, a small war party was detached by the Prophet, for the purpose of commencing hos tilities. This party fired upon the American sentinels, and wounded one of them severely. The Delaware chiefs informed the Governor that it was in vain to expect that any thing but force could obtain satisfaction for injuries committed, or security for the future. He learned also from the same source, that the strength of the Prophet was daily increasing by accessions of the ardent and giddy young men from every tribe.

So soon, therefore, as his little army had recovered from their sickness, occasioned by the exclusive use of fresh food, without vegetables and a sufficient quantity of bread, Harrison determined to proceed on to the Prophet's town. And here it is no more than justice that an incident should be -related illus-. trative of the generous conduct of Governor Harrison, which endeared him so much to his troops, and rendered him the most popular commander ever engaged in the American service. Finding that his flour was inadequate to supply the army for any considerable period, he was compelled, in the early part of October, to put them on a half-allowance of that article. While the soldier in the line, however, was subjected to this privation, the Governor's table was not found supplied with luxuries. He required all the officers rigidly to conform to the same regulation, and he was himself the first to adopt it.

The Indians being perfect masters of ambuscading, every precaution was necessary during the progress of the army, to guard against surprise, and to prevent them from being attacked in a disadvantageous position. Our limits forbid us to accompany him on his dreary march through the wilderness, or to rccount the many perils and adventures of the route. pelled to ford streams, swollen by heavy rains, and in some instances filled with floating ice, and this too, on foot-for frequently did the Governor relinquish his horse to the sick or infirm soldier—to lie at night on the snow-covered earth, with his clöthes and accoutrements on, or sit with his back against a tree, sleeping, with the reins of his horse clenched in his hand, momentarily expecting an attack;—these form but an imperfect sketch of the toils and privations to which the chivalrous Harrison and his gallant army were exposed.

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