CHAPTER XXXVII.
MOVEMENTS OF THE MICHIGAN MILITIA.
In the year 1832, Michigan, as a Territory, embraced that territory
later erected into the State of Wisconsin, and while the latter was
storm-swept with the troops, the peninsula was in no danger
whatever. A great danger was anticipated, and during the tremendous
scare which spread over it from one end to the other, enough
correspondence passed between Acting Governor Stevens T. Mason, Gen.
J.R. Williams and his subalterns to have sufficed for a war of two
years’ duration. From the first, a fear that Black Hawk intended to
go to Malden with his people and there end his days prevailed among
the people of the Territory, in which event bloodshed and all the
horrors of a border warfare were feared. From statements made by
Black Hawk at subsequent periods, notably to Col. John Shaw, some
foundation might appear for this position, but prior to his
surrender the officers did not entertain such a thought, and it was
contrary to his repeated declarations before Stillman’s battle. At
any rate, a supernatural fear ran through the entire peninsula, to
check which and provide every means of defense for the settlers the
following order was issued:
“Executive Office, Detroit, May 22, 1832.
“MAJOR-GEN. JOHN R. WILLIAMS.
“Sir:–By dispatch received at this office from Chicago and St.
Joseph, it seems that the Indians have assumed an attitude of
hostility towards the frontier settlements in that quarter.
“I am satisfied that the public safety requires immediate
movements on the part of the militia of the Territory.
“You are authorized to raise such a number of volunteers as in
your opinion may be necessary for co-operating with Brig.-Gen.
Brown, who has rendezvoused at Jonesville.
“When you arrive there, you will take such steps as may then in
your opinion be necessary.
“STEVENS T. MASON,
“Acting Governor of the Territory.
“The Quartermaster-General will issue to Major-Gen. John R.
Williams such stores, ammunition and arms as he may require.
“STEVENS T. MASON,
Acting Governor of the Territory.
Detroit, May 22, 1832.”
An order for the Division Quartermaster to call on the military
storekeeper for 200 pounds of rifle powder, 100 pounds of bar lead,
1,000 musket flints, 1,000 rifle flints and cartridge boxes was
thereupon made by General Williams, as well as a call for the
volunteers authorized by the acting Governor, who, in a letter
attached, limited the number to 300.
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[Illustration: GOV. STEVENS T. MASON.]
[Illustration: GEN. J.R. WILLIAMS.]
[Illustration: CAPT. JOSEPH F. MARSAC.]
[Illustration: LIEUT. COL. ABRAHAM EDWARDS.]
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Henry Dodge was at this time acting as Colonel of Michigan militia,
under a commission dated October 15th, 1829. Major-General Williams,
just mentioned, was the Major-General in command, under appointment
the same year, and notice of the appointment was sent him by Lewis
Cass in the following letter:
“Washington, March 10, 1829.
“Dear Sir:–I have the pleasure to inform you that your nomination
as a major-general has been confirmed by the Senate. I shall now
confidently rely upon your exertions to place our militia on a
respectable footing, and I am well satisfied that this confidence
will not be misplaced. Larned and Stockton are the brigadiers.
“Sincerely your friend,
“LEWIS CASS.”
Following General Williams’ call for volunteers, an order on the
Division Quartermaster for 3,000 rations of bread and salt pork, to
last 300 men ten days, was issued, and the work of recruiting
proceeded, but slowly. To the call for volunteers, not a volunteer
responded. On the 23d, pursuant to peremptory orders to call out
such companies or parts of companies of the state militia as would
insure a force of 300 men, General Williams at once issued his
second order for the First Regiment and Major Davis’ battalion of
riflemen and the city guards to assemble at Ten Eyck’s, on the 24th,
at 10 o’clock. Meantime he had engaged to forward to General Brown
200 stands of arms and bring to Ten Eyck’s 200 additional stands for
distribution at 2 o’clock P.M. The militia arrived and General
Williams requested a voluntary enrollment. Capt. Joseph F. Marsac
and his men of the First Regiment, and the city guards, under Capt.
Isaac Rowland, and Captain Jackson’s troop of cavalry and parts of
some companies of cavalry volunteered, to the number of 100, leaving
200 to be drafted from the others present, some 400 in number. From
these he drafted the required number and organized them. One ration
was at once issued, but no blankets could then be issued, as they
had not arrived. During the night and on the morning of the 25th
parts of Davis’ battalion arrived, which Williams was induced to
accept (discharging a like number from the drafted men), and to make
a second organization.
At 12 noon Williams left Ten Eyck’s, reaching Willow Springs, a
place within three miles of Ypsilanti, making a march of seventeen
miles for the afternoon before camping.
On the morning of the 26th the troops were again put in motion,
notwithstanding a heavy rain, which finally compelled them to halt
at Ypsilanti until afternoon, when the storm subsided and the march
was resumed. At evening a halt was made at Saline for the night,
where Colonel Schwarz presented orders from Mason, directing the
detachment under Colonel Brooks to return to Detroit and ordering
Williams to “overtake General Brown and to continue part of his
regiment in the field for the purpose of quieting the fears of the
timid, and further directing Williams to see the arms sent General
Brown secured before he returned.” After issuing the order to
Colonel Brooks, Williams parted with them and reached Blackmaar’s,
sixty-seven miles from Detroit, that night, at which time and place
he received word by express of the murders on Indian Creek.
On the 31st, at a point three miles from Niles, he met the Eighth
Regiment, which had been discharged by General Brown, and on his
arrival at Niles he was informed that several detachments of
volunteers which had been called out and others, in all 350,–80 of
which were mounted–had moved forward to the Door Prairie. After
conferring with General Brown, it was agreed that he should proceed
to the Door Prairie, about thirty-five miles to the west, and then
take such measures as he might deem necessary and proper to secure
that settlement from aggression, Williams to remain at Niles until
the detachment under Colonel Brooks should return, when the combined
forces of Williams and Brooks were to move forward to the Door
Prairie. On the evening of the 1st June Brown received a peremptory
order from Mason to march to Chicago, which so mixed the plans made
by the two officers that it became impossible to act intelligently.
Such orders as the one to Brooks recalling him, and then ordering
him to return to Williams, marching and countermarching to no
purpose, as well as exhausting the men, had a most disastrous
effect. Not only did men thereafter refuse to enlist, but, in the
face of a campaign, many then in the ranks refused to leave their
families in danger from such incompetence as had up to that moment
been displayed. General Williams’ righteous indignation rose many
times in this perplexing campaign.
On the 2d it was ascertained that the entire force under Brooks,
then returning, numbered thirty of Jackson’s men, the others having
been disabled by their frivolous march through trackless forests.
Subalterns in the commissary’s department quibbled about the
construction of orders and haggled over imaginary slights in the
giving of orders to such an extent that the troops, with abundance
in sight, actually suffered for want of food.
On the 2d Colonel Brooks arrived at Niles with twenty-six men of
Jackson’s troops, and, contrary to orders and all sense of decency,
General Brown returned to Niles on the same day, with all his men,
and without the least show of authority discharged them. This
high-handed act threw Williams into a passion, which was clearly
shown in a letter written at the time, in which he declared he would
prefer charges against Brown on his return to Detroit. That
astounding action demanded an order to counteract the effect on the
troops, which was issued and instantly forwarded to the Door Prairie
as follows:
“The volunteers and other companies or corps of militia which have
been called out by a recent order from Gen. Brown and were
directed to march to and concentrate at the Door Prairie are not
discharged. The major-general, after having arrived at the Door,
will judge of the expediency of discharging a part of the troops
or not, according to circumstances, and the public service and
safety to the frontier.
“The quartermaster of the Third Brigade will immediately provide
transportation for the provisions, arms, ammunition and other
public property which it is necessary to forward for the use and
subsistence of the troops. The volunteer companies of mounted men
are hereby placed under the immediate command of Colonel Edward
Brooks. He is charged with their instruction and discipline in all
matters connected with their improvement and efficiency.
“Order will be observed on the march, and no arms shall be
discharged without the special permission of the senior officer in
command.
“The troops now about to march from this place will be furnished
with six rounds to each man.
“The brigade quartermaster, Capt. Ullman, will remain at this
place to take charge of all provisions, arms and accouterments,
ammunition and other public property that may remain in store or
arrive for the use of the troops, and to be in readiness to
forward such articles as may be required by the major general.
“By order of Major-General J.R. WILLIAMS,
“CHARLES W. WHIPPLE, Aid-de-Camp.”
Brown having applied for a leave of absence, by reason of the
appearance of measles in his family, was allowed it and departed.
While every effort had been made by Williams to retain the men under
Brown, his efforts must have been ineffectual, for on the 3d, after
ordering his men to remove to Door Prairie, and directing A. Huston
to wheel from Terra Coupa Prairie and return to the same
destination, he also asked the services of 300 mounted militia. To
this call Col. Hart L. Stewart was the only man able to respond, and
he with only fifteen or twenty men of Captain Martin’s company.
Provisions had also given out, and, with all the Quartermaster’s
exertions, he could get none.
On the 5th Williams reached Door Prairie, at which point he learned,
on the 6th, of Stillman’s defeat and the consequent panic into which
the country had been thrown. On the 8th orders were given to march
on the 9th for Chicago, which was taken up promptly and continued
till the 12th, at which time Williams reached Chicago and placed
Col. Edward Brooks in charge of Fort Dearborn until the arrival of
Major Whistler of the United States Army. On the 13th General
Williams, finding to what fears the people had been driven, put all
his energy into making the fort safe against attack. Reports coming
in from the Naper settlements of threatened attack, Williams
dispatched Brooks, with thirty-five horsemen, to assist in the
defense of Fort Payne. Here they remained until the threatened
danger passed, and Major Whistler arrived on the 17th to take charge
of the post. On the 13th General Williams also requested Colonel
Huston to bring 100 men to Chicago, but the action of Brown had such
a depressing influence on the men that he replied on the 17th, “It
will not be in my power to obey your call. I should have been
extremely happy to come through and join you again, but it would be
a hard matter to march a hundred men from this regiment at this
time. * * *” Thus, for all the assistance rendered by the militia in
those parts, the people in the western portion of their territory
might have been murdered to the last man.
A detachment of 300 men from Indiana having arrived at Fort Dearborn
on the 22d, General Williams issued the following order, which
terminated the duties of the troops from the peninsula, all having
returned agreeably with its contents:
“Headquarters, Chicago, June 22d, 1832.
“General Order.
“A detachment of 300 mounted militia having arrived at this place
from the State of Indiana, under the command of Colonel Russell,
with special instructions from the Executive of that State.
“The Major General directs that the detachment of militia, under
the immediate command of Lieut-Col. Abraham Edwards, embark
immediately on board the Napoleon, and be conveyed to the mouth of
the river St. Joseph and there landed, and under the direction of
the officers present be marched in good order to Niles, and when
arrived there, will be honorably discharged. The mounted men,
including Captain Jackson’s troop and the staff officers of the
detachment, will be in readiness to march at 2 o’clock p.m. this
day. They will return to Detroit under the orders of Col. Brooks.
The quartermaster will take charge of all public property,
including arms, ammunition, etc., and see that it is carefully
shipped and conveyed to the mouth of the St. Joseph, and there
safely stored to await further orders. The stores belonging either
to the territory of Michigan or to the United States that may now
be on the way to this place, shall be carefully shipped to Niles.
The Major General takes this opportunity to express his entire
approbation of the good conduct and behavior of every officer,
non-commissioned officer, musician and private of this command,
and therefore tenders his thanks to all in behalf of our common
country, with his best wishes for the welfare and happiness of
every individual member of the command.
“By order of the Major General, J.R. WILLIAMS,
“J.M. WILSON, Aid-de-Camp.”
On the 5th of August General Williams had returned to Detroit, but
not before he had paid his respects to the miscarriages of his
command.
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