[123]. A piece of land six miles square situated on the Chicago River, having been ceded to the United States by the treaty of Greenville (1795), orders were issued by the War Department (1803) for the construction of a fort on the north branch of the river. Fearing a combined English and Indian attack, the garrison evacuated the fort August 15, 1812; but had proceeded but a little way, when they were attacked by the Indians and the greater number massacred. Fort Dearborn was rebuilt in 1816, and garrisoned for several years thereafter. It was torn down in 1857, and the last of the buildings connected with it were consumed in the Chicago fire of 1871.—Ed.
[124]. For a brief description of Sault Ste. Marie, consult Long’s Voyages, volume ii of our series, note 38.—Ed.
[125]. For these tribes, many of whom are merely clans of the larger tribes, consult Wisconsin Historical Collections, xvi, index.—Ed.
[126]. See Franchère’s Narrative, volume vi of our series, note 205, for a brief description of the Grand Portage.—Ed.
[127]. For Lake of the Woods and Rainy Lake, see Franchère’s Narrative, notes 201, 204.
The maps of Evans’s period represent White Bear Lake as the source of the Mississippi, and Red or Mississagan Lake as the origin of Red River of the North. The latter retains its name. The former is probably that now known as Leech Lake.—Ed.
[128]. Illinois was admitted to the Union in 1818, and the part north of its present boundary was annexed to Michigan Territory. For the various divisions of the North-west Territory, see Thwaites, “Division of the North-west,” in How George Rogers Clark won the North-west.—Ed.
[129]. Grose Isle, nine miles in length and about a mile in width, was purchased from the Indians in 1776 by William Macomb; it extends to the mouth of Detroit Strait.—Ed.
[130]. When Perry reached Erie, Pennsylvania, to take charge of naval affairs (March, 1813), he found two vessels, the “Niagara” and the “Lawrence,” already under construction. Working with tireless energy he equipped his fleet of ten vessels by August 12, and sailing up the lake anchored in Put-in-Bay to await the enemy. On the morning of September 10, the British squadron of six vessels, under Captain Barclay, appeared and the battle began. The “Lawrence,” Perry’s ship, being shot to pieces, he boarded the “Niagara,” and again attacked the British at close range. At three in the afternoon, Barclay’s two large vessels surrendered, and two others attempting to escape were captured. This victory compelled the British to evacuate Detroit.—Ed.
[131]. The “Wasp” under command of Johnston Blakely sailed from Portsmouth for the British Channel (May, 1814), and began the destruction of English merchantmen. June 28, the brig “Reindeer” bore down upon her, but after twenty minutes of hard fighting was compelled to surrender. Although suffering severely in this engagement, the “Wasp” continued her ravages until October, when she disappeared and was never heard from again.—Ed.