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.
GOV. STEVENS T. MASON.
GEN. J.R. WILLIAMS.
CAPT. JOSEPH F. MARSAC.
LIEUT. COL. ABRAHAM EDWARDS.
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.