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Page 7
The mouth of the Chicago River was then nearly half a
mile more to the southward than it is now. At a short
distance from the lake, which gives its name to the
territory, it soon branched off abruptly to the north,
and then again, taking another turn, pursued its original
westernly coarse, and, passing near the Fort, gave to
the latter the appearance of a slightly elevated peninsula,
separated only from the water by a gentle declivity of
no great extent. On the same side of the river was the
Government Agency House, and at about a quarter of a mile
from that, a spot generally used as a place of encampment
by the friendly Indians--at that moment occupied by a
numerous band of Pottawattamies. Immediately opposite to
the Fort, stood the residence and trading establishment
of Mr. Mackenzie--a gentleman who had long mixed with
the Indians--had much influence with, and was highly
regarded by them; and, close to his abode, lived with
his family, consisting of his wife and her sister, French
Canadians like himself, Ouilmette, one of the most attached
of his people, and enjoying almost equal popularity with
the red men. About a quarter of a mile beyond Ouilmettes,
and immediately opposite to the Pottawattamie encampment,
from which it was divided only by the river, was another
small but neat dwelling. This belonged to Mr. Heywood,
and was then inhabited by his wife and daughter, whom he
would not permit to reside at the farm, as well on account
of its rudeness of accommodation, as of the dread of
exposing them, in that remote situation, to the very
danger which we have seen he had himself so recently
encountered.
Such was the civilian population of that sparsely inhabited
country in 1812. Let us now see the strength of its
garrison.
For the defence of so distant an outpost, almost cut off,
as we have already shown, from communication with the
more inhabited portions of the States, the American
government had not thought it requisite to provide more
than a single company of soldiers, a force utterly
inadequate to contend in a case of emergency, with the
hordes of savages that could be collected around them
within a few hours, and WEEKS before any efficient succor
could be obtained. This error, grave at any time, in
those who sought to extend the influence of their name
and arms throughout that fertile region which has now,
within little more than a quarter of a century, become
the very head of American commerce and navigation, was
especially so at this particular epoch, when the Indian
spirit, stirred to action by the great chief who had so
recently measured his strength with his hated enemies at
Tippecanoe, was likely to be aroused on all occasions
where facility of conquest seemed to present itself. And,
yet, that government well knew that there were, even at
that moment, difficulties existing between themselves
and Great Britain of a character to lead to an interruption
of the friendly intercourse that had hitherto subsisted
between the two countries, and which, if suffered to
ripen into hostilities, would necessarily, associate many
of the Indian tribes with the forces of England, drawing
down certain destruction on those remoter posts, whose
chief reliance on immunity from danger, lay, in a great
degree, in the array of strength they could oppose to
their subtle and calculating enemy.
This company, consisting, of seventy-five men--many of
them married and with families--was under the command of
an officer whose conduct throughout the eventful and
trying scenes about to be recorded, has often been the
subject of much censure--with what justice our readers
must determine.
Captain Headley was one of those officers who, without
having acquired no greater rank at the age of forty than
he now possessed, had served in the army of the United
States from his boyhood, and was, in all the minutiae of
the service, a strict disciplinarian. He had, moreover,
acquired habits of deference to authority, which caused
him, on all necessary occasions, to regulate his conduct
by the orders of his superiors, and so strongly was this
engrafted on his nature, that while he possessed mind
and energy sufficient to plan the most feasible measures
himself, his dread of that responsibility which
circumstances had now forced upon him, induced the utmost
disinclination to depart from the letter of an instruction
once received, and unrevoked.
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