* A Distributed Proofreaders Canada eBook *

This eBook is made available at no cost and with very few restrictions. These restrictions apply only if (1) you make a change in the eBook (other than alteration for different display devices), or (2) you are making commercial use of the eBook. If either of these conditions applies, please contact a https://www.fadedpage.com administrator before proceeding. Thousands more FREE eBooks are available at https://www.fadedpage.com.

This work is in the Canadian public domain, but may be under copyright in some countries. If you live outside Canada, check your country's copyright laws. IF THE BOOK IS UNDER COPYRIGHT IN YOUR COUNTRY, DO NOT DOWNLOAD OR REDISTRIBUTE THIS FILE.

This eBook was produced by: Marcia Brooks and Cindy Beyer & the online Distributed Proofreaders Canada team at https://www.pgdpcanada.net

This file was produced from images generously made available by Internet Archive.

CORRIGENDA.

———

A few typographical errors have been discovered since this volume went to press, which the reader will please correct as follows:

PREFACE.

———

The Compiler of this volume is a native of Michigan, and although long pg iiian exile from its borders, he has never lost his affection for the beautiful country. He has revisited it a number of times, and in a former publication did what he could to make known its physical attractions and aboriginal lore. Whilst cognizant of the fact that an admirable History of the Territory was in existence, and that one or two good Gazetteers of the State had been published, he felt convinced that there was still needed, for the use of the general public, a more comprehensive volume, and that want he has now endeavored to supply. His leading object has been to prepare an authentic book of reference, rather than to make any display as a writer; and while he has been contented to perform the duties of a literary scout, the success of his present enterprise has been assured by the effective artillery of James H. Lanman and General John Robertson. To the first, who is a relative of the Compiler, he is indebted for the history of the Territory, from its earliest settlement down to the organization of the State; and the latter, who was the able and indefatigable Adjutant-General of Michigan during the War for the Union, has contributed a complete account of the important part which the State took in subduing the Rebellion. Not only has he chronicled the action of the Legislature, but he has taken special care to place upon the record, in compact form, the heroic achievements of the Officers and Soldiers who have honorably identified their names with the State of their nativity or adoption.

With regard to the biographical part of this volume, the Compiler alone is responsible. Although most of this information has been obtained from original sources, he did not deem it advisable to amplify his records more than was absolutely necessary. He regrets, however, that a few of his notices are more brief than they should have been; and, if any persons have been omitted altogether, who deserved notice on account of their association pg ivwith Michigan, it is because his efforts to obtain the proper data were unsuccessful. His leading intention has been merely to give the salient points in the lives of the persons who pass under consideration, referring the reader, who may desire further information, either to the historical narratives in the present volume, or to the more elaborate biographies hitherto published. Indeed, so far as the numerous officers are concerned, who acquired reputation during the Rebellion, or died the death of heroes, their services were found to have been so well depicted by General Robertson, that the Compiler has generally omitted their names altogether in his department of the work. To the many friends who have kindly assisted him, by their correspondence, he would tender his grateful acknowledgements. And, to the People of Michigan, he now dedicates this Historical Record, as an expression of his regard for their superior intelligence, persevering enterprise and exalted patriotism.

CHARLES LANMAN.

Georgetown, D. C., November, 1870.

CIVIL HISTORY OF MICHIGAN.

———

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE STATE.

The name of Michigan is derived from the Indian word Michsawgyegan, pg 009the meaning of which is the Lake Country. It is bounded on the north by Lake Superior; on the east by Lakes Huron, St. Clair, and Erie; on the south by Ohio and Indiana; and on the west by Wisconsin and Lake Michigan; and the extent of its dominion is fifty-six thousand two hundred and forty-three square miles.^[1] Along the shores of Lake Erie there stretches a belt of level and heavily-timbered land, bearing a growth of large and noble forest trees upon a low and level soil. The land gradually rises towards the centre of the State, presenting a variegated scenery composed of tracts of dense wilderness, alternated with prairies, natural parks or oak openings, copses of burr-oak, marshes, barrens, and pine groves, each watered by small streams, lakes, or springs. That part of the State which borders Lake Superior is more bold and primitive, and is broken by mountains and plains, hills and valleys. The Porcupine Mountains, which are the dividing ridge, and separate the waters of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan, are about two thousand feet high and abound in the charms of Alpine and imposing coast scenery. Many parts of this northern peninsula exhibit a bold, rocky, and sterile prospect, which caused one of the early French travellers—La Honton—to call this region “the fag end of the world.” It abounds with forests of white and yellow pine, and will probably never be favorable for agricultural production, although it is a rich mineral region. The northern part of the lower peninsula, generally speaking, is flat and swampy; the central and southern portions are gently rolling, covered with groves of oak, alternated with tracts of heavily-timbered land, are peculiarly favorable for the production of wheat, which is the staple product, and present the most picturesque points of scenery, and resources for even a dense population.

The soil of Michigan is various in its character. It is in general much more level than that of New York and New England, being of alluvial formation, and comparatively free from rocks. The different species of soil consist of heavily-timbered land, oak openings, burr-oak plains, prairies, and pine groves, each of which will be considered.

The heavily-timbered land consists of tracts which are densely wooded with a variety of large forest-trees, the principal of which are the black and pg 010white walnut, oaks of different species, maple, ash, elm, linden, sycamore, hackberry, cottonwood, aspen, locust, butternut, box or dogwood, poplar, whitewood, beech, cherry, sassafras, white, yellow, and Norway pine, hemlock, spruce, tamerack, cedar, chestnut, and pawpaw; as well as the smaller trees and shrubs, such as willow, alder, sumach, and honeysuckle, together with the different kinds of undergrowth which are found in the Middle States. This timbered land is often found upon the borders of the streams, upon what are called bottoms, and also upon the ridges which border them. It is discovered along the shores of the lakes from Monroe to Detroit, and thence to Lake Michigan, in a belt varying from five to fifteen miles in breadth. But a small proportion of the peninsular part of the State is, however, densely wooded.

There are various other species of soil which constitute a beautiful variety, and which will be described in their proper order. The heavily-timbered soil is generally composed of a deep vegetable mold, sometimes mingled with clay, and produces a dense and luxuriant vegetation. Compared with the other sections of the State, it is gloomy, being generally more low and level, and it is more difficult to clear from the thick and tangled mass of trees which covers it; but these disadvantages are made up by its fertility, and it yields in great abundance the grasses, oats, buckwheat, potatoes, rye, and large crops of corn. Perhaps it is not so favorable to wheat, being damp, from the fact that it is shut out from the sun, and also cold in its nature.

In advancing into the interior of the State, across the narrow belt before described, we arrive upon a more dry and undulating soil—a species of land which swells into little hills like artificial mounds, and is called oak openings. This land is composed of a sandy loam, mingled sometimes with limestone pebbles, and appears light upon the surface, but, when laid open by the plough, turns black from the intermixture of lime in its composition. The trees, consisting chiefly of whiteoak, scattered over the ground generally from ten to sixty feet apart, and extending for miles like cultivated parks, now sweeping down to a clear stream, a fertile prairie, or the brow of a transparent lake, impress one with the idea that he is travelling through an old, rather than a newly-settled country. These openings constitute a feature which distinguishes this from most of the adjoining States. The land, although not as productive as some other kinds of soil, yields heavy crops of oats and abundant harvests of wheat, besides the ordinary products of the Middle States. Although containing apparently but a thin covering of decomposed vegetable matter, the absence of that material is made up by the admixture of lime in its composition, which is favorable to vegetation; and in summer the surface is almost entirely covered with red, yellow, white, and purple flowers, which, in their richness and beauty, are not known in the older-settled portions of the country, spreading a gorgeous carpet through the forest as far as the eye can reach. The surface of the oak openings also presents a turf of matted grass, which requires three or four yoke of oxen to break it up; and, as you can ride for miles in a carriage under the trees that are thus widely separated, it does not need so great an amount of labor in clearing it as the timbered land. The trees, however, are usually girdled in order to effect their decay. These oak openings extend throughout the greater part of the lower peninsula.

Another species of soil of very great value is found in the State, commencing at the county of Jackson and studding the timbered land and oak openings from the head of the Kalamazoo river to the shores of Lake Michigan. It is called burr-oak plains or openings; a soil which consists pg 011of tracts spread over with groves of trees of a small size, called the burr-oak, with a rough bark and deep green foliage. They closely resemble cultivated orchards of pear trees, springing from a soil which is composed of a brown loam mingled with clay; yet they are highly productive, and are deemed by the settlers of the greatest value, yielding in abundance the crops of the Middle States—corn, oats, potatoes, buckwheat, rye, and all the products of the other kinds of soil. As the trees, like those of the whiteoak openings, are widely separated, this land requires but little clearing; but four or five yoke of oxen are generally used to break it up for seeding. Corn to the amount of forty, and sometimes eighty, bushels to the acre is produced from these openings, and from forty to fifty bushels of oats. Thirty bushels of wheat to the acre are also frequently obtained from this land; but the average amount may be placed at about twenty-five bushels.

Scattered through the south and southwestern part, particularly upon the borders of the Kalamazoo, the Grand, and St. Joseph rivers are, what are called prairies. These consist of a soil destitute of trees, and covered with a deep surface of black sand and vegetable mold. It is more productive than any other species, yielding very large crops of corn and potatoes, as well as wheat, which is, however, apt not to be as clean as that on the openings. All other crops that are produced in this climate it yields in great profusion. These prairies throughout the State are comparatively small, but in Illinois they stretch out beyond the horizon like a sea. Being comparatively easy to cultivate, and producing so abundantly, they are always selected by the farmers before any other kind of soil. The dry prairies on the banks of the Kalamazoo and St. Joseph rivers furnish a soil equal to any other in the West, and frequently from thirty to fifty bushels of corn have been raised upon them the first season, without being ploughed or hoed; and when the mold has been once subdued, from thirty to eighty bushels of corn, or forty of wheat, have been obtained to the acre; they are also very favorable for grass.

Another species of soil found in the State is called wet prairies or marshes, tracts which are generally in part or in whole covered with water; and they produce a long coarse grass that is only favorable for winter stock, and make a fine ranging ground for horses and cattle in the spring. When drained, these wet prairies may be converted into valuable meadow land.

Another species of soil that we meet with in the interior is termed barrens. They consist of tracts which are sparsely scattered over with stunted oaks or bushes, that would seem to indicate that the land is not favorable to vegetation. It is found, however, that by cultivation it produces well.

The kind of soil which is called swamp or marsh land is found in considerable tracts in the greater part of the State. It is in winter covered with water, and has a deep mire, which is dangerous to the traveller, and is sprinkled here and there with a few scattering trees or groves of tamerack, which resemble pine. In many places these marshes are caused by beaver-dams.

The mineral productions of the State are various, and some of great value. Although the soil of the lower peninsula is, as has been before remarked, of alluvial formation, yet there are occasionally seen ledges of sandstone, which abounds in parts of the counties of Hillsdale, Jackson, Calhoun, Kalamazoo, Livingston, Ingham, Eaton, Barry, Shiawassee, Clinton, and other portions of the State. Gray limestone is also found; and on the immediate shore of Lake Huron a greenish-colored clay has been discovered. Indications of coal are apparent in the counties of Eaton, Ingham, pg 012and Shiawassee. On the banks of Grand river, near the Grand Rapids, beds of gypsum or plaster occur, which are of considerable importance. Salt-springs, used for the manufacture of salt, are scattered throughout a considerable portion of the interior; and clay, sand, marl, bog-iron ore, with other kinds, and springs tinctured with mineral qualities, especially sulphur, have been discovered in the eastern part of the peninsula, that will be of advantage for medicinal purposes.

The shores of Lake Superior are rich in mineral wealth, especially copper, and a large mass of that metal, near the mouth of the Ontonagon river, of many thousand pounds’ weight, excited the interest of travellers from the earliest period. Among the rocks on this part of the coast are to be found iron ore, prase, jaspar, carnelian, agate, sardonyx, and other rare stones of some value.

The greater part of the State is also well watered by numerous rivers and small streams, which variegate the landscape, and flow into the surrounding lakes. The principal of these are the Raisin, Grand river, the Kalamazoo, the St. Joseph, the Huron, the Clinton, the Saginaw, and the Ontonagon. The Detroit, the St. Clair, and the St. Mary’s cannot be properly called rivers, as they are only straits which connect the lakes in the eastern and more level portions. Upon the eastern border of the State the rivers are sluggish, but as you advance into the interior they become more clear and rapid. The St. Joseph is a transparent and beautiful, though shallow stream, which meanders through the western part of the State over a bed of limestone rock and pebbles, and watering counties of great fertility, consisting of oak lands and prairies, flows into Lake Michigan. The Kalamazoo is also a clear but narrow river, that runs over a surface of sand, limestone rock, or pebbles, and, watering extensive and productive tracts of the State, empties into the same lake. The Grand river is the largest stream in the interior, and, after furnishing a convenient channel for navigation and large manufacturing advantages, empties into Lake Michigan at Grand Haven. There are various other streams of less importance, which furnish sites for manufacturing establishments, and eligible points for settlement on their banks.

The little lakes scattered over the soil are another peculiar point in the scenery. These are clear, and abound with fish; and in summer, when the vegetation upon their banks is in full bloom, appear like mirrors, where Nature, dressed in green and flowery robes, may admire her own beauty amid the solitude.

But the great lakes which wash its shores are the most prominent feature of the State. These constitute much the largest body of fresh water on the face of the globe. To the eye they appear like oceans, and water the borders of the forest for thousands of miles, from the State of New York to the regions of Canada lying along the shores of Lake Superior, which are now ranged chiefly by tribes of Indians, fur-traders, and miners. Their surges roll like those of the sea, and the mariner obliged to navigate them often encounters as dangerous storms as upon the ocean. Their waters, however, are not, like those of the open sea, of a blue color, but have a tinge of green, from the fact that they are fresh. They were formerly explored only by the bark canoes of the Indians, and were the theatre of the fur trade, which will be described hereafter; but are now crossed by steamboats of large tonnage, as well as vessels and ships of all sizes.

The origin of the names of the great lakes is not wanting in interest. Lake Ontario was formerly called Lake Frontenac, while that of Erie is derived from a nation of Erries, who roamed along the northern borders pg 013of Ohio, and were destroyed by the Iroquois. Lake Huron was termed Karegnondi, and also Lake of Orleans. Lake Michigan was called Lake Michigonong, and also Lake of Puans and Illinese, and Lake of the Dauphin. Lake St. Clair was named by La Salle’s expedition, from the day on which he entered the river. The length of Lake Superior is estimated at five hundred miles, and its breadth at one hundred and ninety. This lake is as clear as crystal, and the polished stones upon the bottom, as well as numerous shoals of fish, can be seen at a great depth. Lake Michigan is believed to be three hundred and thirty miles long, and sixty miles broad. Lake Huron is two hundred and sixty miles long, and, coastwise, three hundred and sixty; its breadth is one hundred and sixty miles. Lake Erie is two hundred and eighty miles long, and its widest part is about sixty-three miles. Lake St. Clair is thirty miles long and twenty-eight miles broad. It is thus seen that this chain of lakes must furnish an important channel of navigation in the future commerce of the country.

The wild animals of this as well as the other portions of the Northwest are various. The mammoth or mastodon once roamed through its forests, and its skeletons are now found below the surface.^[2] Herds of buffaloes roved over the prairies upon the borders of Lake Erie as late as 1720, and we have a full account of that fact from the early French travellers; but these have been driven, by the progress of emigration, to the plains which sweep along the base of the Rocky Mountains. The elk and moose and troops of deer formerly fed on the green herbage upon the banks of the Detroit; but these have now retired to the more unsettled portions of the State. The wolverine, the black or brown bear, the wolf, the elk, the deer, moose, lynx, wild-cat, panther, fox, marten, raccoon, porcupine, opossum, weasel, polecat, gopher, the black, red, gray, and striped squirrel, marmot or woodchuck, rabbit, hare, and various other species of animals, are now found in the interior. The beaver, the otter, the muskrat, and the mink inhabit the rivers and small streams, and furnished a valuable article of commerce during the early French, English, and American fur trade. Of birds, the robin, the black-bird, the thrush, the lark, the blue-bird, different species of the sparrow, the wren, the woodpecker, the brant, and the loon, the jay, and the cuckoo, are the most common. The forests shelter flocks of the wild turkey and the partridge. The grouse or prairie-hen swarms on the prairies. Pigeons appear in large flocks at particular seasons of the year, and the snipe and the white partridge are not uncommon. The eagle, the brant, the buzzard, and others of the vulture kind, the crow, the raven, the heron, and owls of different species, the most distinguished of which is the great white owl, are among the carnivorous birds. The streams and lakes abound with numerous species of wild ducks, of various and beautiful plumage. They fly in large flocks along the shores of the lakes, and feed in the marshes which fringe them, sometimes blackening the surface by their numbers. The swan may sometimes be seen floating upon the waters; and flocks of wild geese, in the season of summer, collect around the small interior lakes, after their winter migrations, where they obtain their food from the wild rice, which is the peculiar product of this region.

The rivers, interior lakes, and surrounding waters of the country abound with fish. These are of various species and of delicious kinds. In the strait of St. Mary and Lake Superior they are of a more valuable sort, from the pg 014fact that the water of the latter lake is clear and very cold. The quantity in the last-named lake is very great. The sisquovette, which are not found in other portions of the lake waters, are seen in great abundance in Lake Superior. They sometimes grow to the weight of eight or ten pounds.

The principal fish which are found in the surrounding lakes and interior waters of the country are the sturgeon, whitefish, Mackinaw trout, salmon trout, common trout, muskalunge, pickerel, pike, perch, herring, the rock bass, the white and black bass, catfish, pout, common eel, bullhead, roach, sunfish, dace, sucker, carp, mullet, billfish, swordfish, bullfish, stone-carrier, sheep’s-head, the gar, and many other kinds. The muskalunge, Mackinaw trout, and whitefish are deemed most valuable. The former is sometimes caught weighing forty pounds. The Mackinaw trout resembles in lustre and appearance the salmon. The whitefish, a very delicious fish, is similar to the shad, with brighter scales, which appear like burnished silver. This fish has been celebrated by the French travellers from the earliest period, and Charlevoix, who travelled through this region in 1720, once declared that “nothing of the fish kind could excel it.” Great numbers of trout and whitefish are taken upon the lakes and shipped to Ohio, New York, and Pennsylvania, besides those which are consumed in the State.

The northern part of the lower peninsula of Michigan, bordering on Lake Huron, has not yet been thoroughly surveyed and brought into market. The soil of this section of the State is not so favorable for agriculture as that of the southern portion. It is more wet and marshy, abounds with pine, and is broken by sandhills and swamps. It has been remarked that the portion of the State bordering on Lake Superior is broken and rocky; and, although containing some elevated table-lands which may be adapted to cultivation, it may be considered unfavorable to agriculture. It has, however, been ascertained to be a rich mineral region. The most settled portion of the State has been organized into counties, as the advance of population has required.

From the brief view which has been taken of the productions of the soil, it is clearly perceived that it affords a variety of resources. The low and densely-wooded land upon the immediate shore of the lower lakes, where the streams run sluggishly over beds of clay, is strikingly contrasted with the more rolling character of the oak lands, extending from this belt towards the centre, dotted as they are by natural ponds of pure water, and coursed by more rapid streams, which have their beds upon sand or gravel; and these in turn are entirely distinct from the more primitive, rocky, and rugged portion lying in that part of the upper peninsula bordering on the shores of Lake Superior. Exhibiting different degrees of fertility, the southern part, from its undulating character and its clear streams, affords a greater inducement for present settlement than the level strip to which allusion has been made, or the more primitive and rocky region of the north. It happens, accordingly, that emigration has in a great measure crossed this strip and sought the more rolling country, leaving the marshes and the mouths of the streams which flow into the eastern side; a section of the State somewhat unfavorable to settlement from the configuration of the land, but from the fact that it has been productive of the class of bilious disorders prevailing in the greater portion of our new country.

FIRST ADVANCE OF THE FRENCH MISSIONARIES AND TRAVELLERS.

The wide region stretching away in a luxuriant expanse of forest, river, and prairie, from the shores of the great lakes westward to the banks of the pg 015Mississippi, was first explored and colonized by the French. That portion of the French territory now comprised in the Canadas, the original point of French settlement, was long the centre of its trade, commerce, and religion; yet the government claimed the country, both by right of discovery and appropriation, that extended far beyond the boundaries of their actual colonization. Nor were the settlers who had established themselves upon the banks of the St. Lawrence at any time wanting in zeal and enterprise in extending their explorations. It was early the avowed object of that government to carry the cross of the Roman Catholic Church to the remotest bounds of the Western territory, and thus to secure the advantages of its great resources. The principal directors of the ecclesiastical establishments that were collected at Quebec, found it their policy to become informed of the condition of the domain upon the great lakes; and as early as 1634, the Jesuits, Brebœuf and Daniel, joined a party of Hurons who were returning from that walled city, and, passing through the Ottawa river, raised the first hut of the Society of Jesus upon the shore of Lake Iroquois, a bay of Lake Huron, where they daily rang a bell to call the savages to prayer, and performed all those kind offices which were calculated to secure the confidence and affection of the tribes on the lake shores. In order to confirm the missions, a college was founded in Quebec during the following year; and a hospital was established at the same place for the unfortunate of every class, both civilized and savage. Three nuns of Dieppe, in France, were selected to advance into the Canadian wilderness in 1639; an Ursuline convent, for the education of girls, was also erected; and at Silleri a small band of the Hurons was trained to the civilization and faith of the French, for the purpose of spreading the religion and influence of their colonies through the Western wilderness. A plan for the establishment of missions, not only among the Algonquins of the North, but also south of Lake Huron and in Michigan, was formed, indeed, within six years after the discovery of Canada.

The French were at this period excluded from the navigation of Lake Ontario by the hostility of the Mohawks, and their canoes had never ruffled the waters of Lake Erie. The Ottawa, in consequence, was the only avenue to the West; and in 1641, Pijart and Charles Raymbault were found roaming as missionaries among the tribes of Lake Nipissing.

In September, 1641, the first bark canoe, laden with French Jesuits, was paddled through the Ottawa river for the Falls of St. Mary, and, passing by the islands of Lake Huron, they reached these falls after a navigation of seventeen days. At this place they found a large collection of Indians from the neighboring tribes, many of whom had never seen civilized men, and had never heard of the true God. The white men were invited to dwell among them; for, said the savages, “We will embrace you as brothers; we will derive profit from your words.” Raymbault, the first missionary to the tribes of Michigan, feeble with consumption, during the next year returned to Quebec. Thus the French at this early period had advanced their missionary posts beyond the shores of Lake Huron and to the outlet of Lake Superior. Father Jacques and Bressani, Jean de Brebœuf, Chaumonotot, Claude Dablon, Mesnard, and others, while carrying the cross through the forests of the Northwest, were not to be impeded by tortures and burnings, nor death even, from their darling projects. They toiled and suffered, were struck down with the tomahawk; they lived the life of beggars, and died the death of martyrs; were covered with burning bark, and scalded with boiling water, and scarred with hot iron, until the gentle Lallemand cried out amid his tortures, “We are made a spectacle unto the world, and to pg 016angels, and to men;” but with the zeal of ancient martyrdom the Jesuits pressed on from the strongholds of Quebec, filling the ranks of the dead as one after another fell, advancing to the remote boundaries of the lake shores the cross and the lilies of the Bourbons.

During the month of August, 1654, two young fur-traders having joined a band of the Ottawas or Algonquins, in their bark canoes, upon an exploration of five hundred leagues, reappeared after two years before St. Louis with a fleet of fifty canoes. Describing the territory stretching around the great lakes in glowing colors, and the savage hordes which were then scattered through the forests, they sought to effect a wider extension of French commerce into that region. Their request was granted; and in 1656, Gabrielle Dreuillette and Leonard Gareau, former missionaries among the Hurons, were selected for the mission; but just below Montreal a band of Mohawks attacked their fleet, Gareau was mortally wounded, and the expedition prevented. The traders of the lakes, seeking the furs which abounded in those forests, and backed by the Western Indians, who desired a league by which they might resist the Iroquois, soon advanced to Green Bay, and in 1659 two of them passed the winter on the shores of Lake Superior. During the following year they returned to Quebec, escorted by sixty canoes, laden with peltry, and paddled by three hundred Algonquins.

The zeal of Francis de Laval, the bishop of Quebec, appears to have been kindled, by their accounts of the country, with a desire to enter upon the mission, but to Rene Mesnard was allotted this task, so full of hazard. Charged with the duty of exploring the territory around Green Bay and Lake Superior, and of establishing at some convenient point a place for the general assembly of the neighboring tribes, this aged man, in August, 1660, with but few preparations, departed on his mission, trusting, to use his own words, “in the Providence which feeds the little birds of the desert, and clothes the wild flowers of the forest.” During the month of October he reached a bay on the south shore of Lake Superior, which he named St. Theresa; writing to a friend, “in three or four months you may add me to the memento of deaths.” After a residence there of eight months, in the year 1661, he complied with the invitation of the Hurons, who had taken refuge in the isle of St. Michael, and, leaving his converts, advanced with one attendant to the Bay of Che-goi-me-gon. Lost in the forest, he was never afterward seen; and among the amulets of the Sioux were discovered his breviary and cassock.

But the rude missionary posts around the lakes struggled on, and were in danger of falling, when the Canadian colonies were re-enforced in 1665 by a royal regiment, with Tracy as viceroy, Courcelles, a veteran officer, as governor, and Talon, a man of business and perseverance, as intendant, and the representative of the King in civil matters. French enterprise now pressed forward to the West with increased vigor, and in August, 1665, Father Claude Allouez, following the old course of the Ottawa, on the 1st day of October reached the principal village of the Chippewas in the Bay of Che-goi-me-gon. A chapel dedicated to the Holy Spirit soon arose amid the green luxuriance of the forest, and the passions of the rough tribes were subdued by paintings which the missionary displayed of the horrors of hell and the terrors of the final judgment. The dwellers around St. Mary flocked to his station; the Hurons and Ottawas, upon the deserts north of Lake Superior, secured his presence at their wigwams; and the Pottowatomies, from the borders of Lake Michigan, invited him to their homes, while the Sacs and Foxes travelled from their villages, and the Illinois came to gather counsel and to describe the beauties of their quiet pg 017river. The Sioux, also, from the west of Lake Superior, in a land of prairies, living on wild rice and skin-covered cabins, welcomed the stranger. After residing for nearly two years upon the southern margin of Lake Superior, in August of 1667 he returned to Quebec, and urged the establishment of permanent missions, to be accompanied by colonies of French emigrants upon the lakes; but in two days after reaching that post, with another priest, Louis Nicholas, he returned to the mission of Che-goi-me-gon.

The condition of Canada at that time was favorable to the progress of the missions of this portion of the West. The monopoly of the West India Company, organized for the purpose of prosecuting the fur-trade, had been yielded up. Peace was enjoyed, and a new recruit of missionaries had arrived from France. Aided by such advantages, Allouez, Claude Dablon, and James Marquette in 1668 repaired to the Chippewas and established the mission of St. Mary, the first settlement commenced by Europeans within the boundaries of Michigan. During the following years these missionaries were employed in strengthening the power of France over the possessions which she claimed, from Green Bay to the head of Lake Superior, and in collecting information respecting the region extending toward the Mississippi. They resolved in the year 1669 to attempt its exploration, and selected as a companion a young Illinois, for the purpose of becoming acquainted with the dialect of that tribe.

The commerce of the fur-trade between the Algonquins and the French secured the protection of their tribes and their deep attachment, while a desire of strengthening the power of France over the Western territory pervaded the mind of Louis of France and Colbert, his minister. Talon, the intendant-general, moreover, desired to advance the same object, and for this purpose despatched his agent, Nicholas Perrott, in order to call a general congress of the lake tribes at the Falls of St. Mary. Procuring at Green Bay a guard of Pottowatomies, he reached the settlement of the Miamis at Chicago, the first of civilized men who had ever visited that point.

The desired Congress of the Indian tribes convened at the falls of St. Mary in May of 1671, was composed of prominent delegates from the head waters of the St. Lawrence, the Mississippi, the lakes, and even the Red river; and of veteran officers from the armies of France, intermingled here and there with a Jesuit missionary. A cross having been raised, and also a cedar post marked with the French lilies, the representatives of the savage hordes were informed that they were under the protection of the French King. During that year Marquette gathered a branch of the Hurons at Point St. Ignace, upon the continent north of the peninsula of Michigan, an establishment that was long a convenient resting-place for the savages and the fur-trade.

In 1672, Allouez and Dablon, who were the active agents of the French Government in carrying the cross through the eastern part of Wisconsin and the north of Illinois, seeking by mild means to secure the good offices of the Kickapoos upon the Milwaukie and of the Miamis of Lake Michigan, explored the countries to the south of the village that had been thus founded by Marquette, and had even extended their explorations to the tribes of the Foxes, then scattered along the banks of the Fox river. But the power of the French in this quarter was mainly confined to the immediate shores of the lakes and their connecting waters. Beyond these was a river flowing thousands of miles into the sea, which had never been traced to its outlet, of which Allouez had reported the name to be Messipi, or the pg 018Great river. This stream, long the object of curious inquiry, was now to be sought, in order that the French power might be spread along its banks.

Thus labored Marquette, a solitary missionary upon the lakes, until 1673, when M. Talon, the intendant-general of the colony, ambitious to close his career in that region with something of honor, despatched M. Joliet, a citizen of Quebec, to this man, and unfolded, at the same time, a project for the exploration of the country along the line of the Michisepee, or the Great river, to its mouth, which current reports declared flowed into a large sea. Nor was Marquette unwilling to aid the enterprise. Upon the thirteenth of May, everything being ready, this adventurer, together with Joliet and five other Frenchmen, left Michilimackinac in two bark canoes, supplied with Indian corn and jerked meat, and commenced their voyage to the unknown country. They soon arrived at an Indian village which was familiar to Marquette, and made known to the savages their plan. These savages, however, seemed to be horror-struck at the boldness of the project to explore the great river. There were Indians in that quarter, they told the whites, who would destroy them; monsters who would swallow up them and their canoes; a demon who would ingulf all who ventured near his watery and boiling domain, and heats that would parch them. “I thanked them for their good advice,” says Marquette, “but informed them I could not follow it, since the salvation of souls was at stake, for which I should be overjoyed to give my life.”

The navigators now passed through Green Bay, from the mud of which there arose, says the voyager, “mischievous vapors, which cause the most grand and perpetual thunders I ever heard.” They entered the Fox river, and, dragging their canoes through the rapids, and cutting their feet with the stones, they soon arrived at a village where there lived together a band of the Miamis, Mascoutens, and Kickapoos. Here they found a cross hung with skins, because the Great Spirit had given to the Indians a successful chase. Father Allouez had been here, and had taught them that the cross was the only visible emblem of the true religion. This village was at that time the remote boundary of western exploration, and beyond it no Frenchman had before gone. They were now journeying through a country before unknown to white men. On the 10th of July the adventurers left these savages amazed at the hardihood of the whites, and, aided by two guides, started for the stream, which was believed to run but three leagues distant from the Mississippi, and to flow into that river. The Indian guides, having conducted them to the portage without any mishap, left them “alone amid that unknown country, in the hand of God.” Advancing with prayers, they soon arrived at the Wisconsin, a stream abounding with sandbars, but studded with islands and bordered by banks green with vegetation, and variegated by groves and pleasant slopes. Floating down the stream in their canoes, they arrived, on the 17th of June, at the Mississippi, “with joy,” says Marquette, “that I cannot express.”

The adventurers had now reached the main channel, which they were to explore to its mouth; and, after having admired the herds of buffalo and deer which roamed along its borders, and the swans which floated upon its surface, as well as some great fish which nearly dashed their canoes to atoms, they at length came to the footprints of human beings on the sand, and a trail leading to a meadow. Leaving their canoes in charge of the crew, Joliet and Marquette now advanced towards what seemed to them an Indian village, sufficiently near to hear the voice of the savages. With prayers they made known their presence by a loud cry, and were soon received by an embassy of four old men, who presented them the pipe of pg 019peace, and informed them at the same time that they were in a village of the Illinois. The French voyagers were here entertained with a grand feast, accompanied with much smoking. The feast consisted of four courses; the first was of hominy, the second of fish, the third of dog, and the fourth of roasted buffalo. When the feast had been concluded, they were marched through the town with much ceremony; and, having passed the night quietly, they were escorted by six hundred Indians to their canoes. The Illinois, says Marquette, were handsome, kindly, and effeminate. They used guns, and were feared by the savages of the South and West, where they made many prisoners, and sold them as slaves.

Having left the Illinois, the voyagers passed the rocks on which were painted the monsters of whose existence they had heard at Lake Michigan, and reached the mouth of the Missouri. Leaving the Missouri, they encountered the demon against which they had been warned, that was nothing more than a great rock in the stream, and soon arrived at the Ohio. From the Ohio, although somewhat troubled by the mosquitoes, they passed in safety to the region of the Arkansas.

At this place they were attacked by a crowd of warriors, and would have been overpowered had not Marquette presented the pipe of peace, which softened the rough savages; for, says the Jesuit, “God touched their hearts.” On the succeeding day they proceeded on their way, and were feasted by the hospitable savages upon corn and dogmeat cooked in earthenware, the Indians being amiable and ceremonious, passing the dish from one to another. Here the voyagers determined to return to the North, as they were now confident of the place where the Mississippi was discharged, that being the principal object of the expedition. In consequence, they left Akamsca on the 17th of July, retracing their track; and, amazed at the numbers of “grounds, meadows, woods, buffaloes, stags, deer, wildcats, bustards, swans, ducks, paroquets, and beavers” upon the Illinois river, they arrived at Green Bay in September of that year, where they reported what they had seen.

Father Marquette returned to the Illinois, and performed his clerical offices by their request until the year 1675. On the 18th of May, as he was passing through Lake Michigan in his canoes, he proposed to land at the mouth of a small stream running from the peninsula to perform mass, and retired a little distance to pray. Not returning, his men went in pursuit of him, and soon discovered the missionary, but he was dead; and they made a grave and buried him in the sand, upon the western part of the peninsula of Michigan, on the borders of a stream which now bears his name, and where the place of his interment was recently to be seen. Thus passed away this quiet man in the wilderness, after a long life spent in doing good. Yet he left the impression of his virtues behind him, and his name the world has embalmed and will perpetuate.

At length the enterprise of Robert de la Salle, a native of Normandy, in France, a young man of strong passions, but great energy, entered upon a project which had for its object the perpetuation of the power of France by the permanent colonization of the West. La Salle was, according to Charlevoix, brought up among the Jesuits, and, having lost his patrimony in France, and being of an adventurous and enterprising spirit, he turned his mind to the French colonies on this side of the Atlantic about the year 1670. Having arrived at the Canadian port, he occupied himself with a project, popular in that day, connected with a short passage to China, and had already planned an expedition across the great lakes to the banks of the Pacific when Father Marquette returned from the Mississippi. The highly colored views which this missionary gave of the country, and its extensive pg 020channels of interior communication westward, kindled the sanguine mind of La Salle, and induced him to redouble his exertions to carry out his object. With that view he resorted to M. de Frontenac, then the governor-general of Canada, and at once laid before him the dim but gigantic outline of his project, having for its end the extension of the French power, by constructing a chain of fortifications at the most prominent points along the lakes and rivers of the West. The first step towards this favorite scheme was to rebuild Fort Frontenac, which lies on Lake Ontario, of stone; and the politic adventurer deemed this an important point to win the favor of the governor-general, as that fort was called after his name. Frontenac entered warmly into his views. Believing that the French power would be greatly strengthened by carrying out the design, he advised La Salle to apply directly to the King of France; and, to aid his application for royal patronage, he gave the adventurer letters to Seigneilay, who, as minister of marine, had succeeded his father, the well-known Colbert.

With glowing hopes, La Salle now resorted to the French King, and made known his wants. His plan was approved by the minister, who received his letter, and he was invested with the title of chevalier, and also with the seignory of Fort Frontenac, on the condition that he would rebuild it. From all the nobility of that country he received also assurances of full countenance and aid. Encouraged by these assurances, La Salle, with his lieutenant, Tonti, an Italian, and thirty men, sailed from Rochelle on the 14th of July, 1678, reached Quebec on the 15th of September of the same year, and soon after proceeded to Fort Frontenac. Here he found laboring in the missionary cause Louis Hennepin, a friar of the Franciscan order, daring, vain, and determined, ambitious to reap the glory of discovery, and not too scrupulous as to the means. Hennepin had been appointed by his religious superiors acting missionary, to accompany the expedition of La Salle, and arrived at this point, in readiness to meet him, in October of 1678.

The chevalier having no means to carry out his project, and being at that time somewhat involved in debt, was obliged to cast about for money to advance his enterprise. He commenced operations, accordingly, by sending forward a party of his men along the shores of the lakes to collect skins, from which he might accumulate something to pay his winter expenses, for he had an exclusive right from the French monarch to trade in that region. The advantages of this course were two-fold: for, while the Frenchmen whom he should despatch were collecting the furs, they could, at the same time, prepare the minds of the Indians for his coming. In the first place it was made a part of his duty to alter and repair Fort Frontenac; Lake Ontario was to be navigated; a fort was to be built on Lake Erie, and a bark of extraordinary size for those inland seas was to be constructed. All these duties devolved upon himself; and, with the small funds which he had to accomplish them, they would, to a man of moderate soul, have appeared formidable. But to the stout heart of the French chevalier they were as nothing, for his perseverance was unconquerable, and his ambition looked forward to the time when his name should be covered with glory as the benefactor of France, and the Columbus of its colonies in the West.

Having despatched his men for the objects which have been mentioned, La Salle embarked upon Lake Ontario, with his followers, on the 18th of November, 1678, in a little vessel of ten tons, “the first ship that had ever sailed on that fresh-water sea.” Against strong winds the vessel was finally, after having occupied four weeks in beating up from Kingston to Niagara, pushed as near the falls as could be done with safety, and the adventurers landed. Here some magazines were built with great difficulty, as the ground pg 021was frozen, and the posts could be driven down only by pouring boiling water upon the surface, and thus thawing the earth. Here also they formed their first acquaintance with the Iroquois of Niagara Village upon Lake Erie, and founded a second fort; but, impeded by the jealousy of the Iroquois, they relinquished the project, and merely erected a temporary work to secure the magazines. Leaving orders for his men to build another vessel, La Salle returned to Fort Frontenac to procure anchors, cables, chains, and other outfits for his new ship. Through the winter days, when Lake Erie lay before them covered with ice, like “a plain paved with fine-polished marble,” his men hammered upon the ship, while others gathered furs and peltry in the forest, or strove to gain the good-will of the Iroquois, who claimed the country through which they were to pass, and who had never shown themselves the special friends of the French. On the 20th of January, 1679, the chevalier returned. The vessel in which his outfits had been embarked was wrecked; and, although the most valuable part of her cargo was saved, the greater portion of her provisions went to the bottom. This, however, did not dishearten the stout-hearted adventurer. A considerable quantity of furs was collected during the winter, with which the commander, in the spring of 1679, returned to Fort Frontenac, and Tonti was sent out upon the shores of the lakes to muster his men, who had been before despatched into that region. The vessel, however, was at length built, in spite of all these obstacles, rigged and manned, and made ready to sail.

The chain of fortifications thus projected by La Salle was afterward constructed upon the water-line of the Northwest, and its remains are still to be seen stretching from the shores of Lake Ontario to the mouth of the Mississippi.

On the seventh day of the month of August, 1679, the bark of sixty tons burden having at length been built, she started on the first voyage which had ever been made upon that inland sea, amid the sound of Te Deums and the discharge of arquebuses. This vessel was named the Griffin, and the image of that animal was carved on her prow. Robert de la Salle was her commander; and Louis Hennepin, the missionary, burning with ardor to make new discoveries, and also the journalist of the expedition, was on board. The crew consisted of fur-traders taken from the Canadian colonies. They sounded while they ploughed along the waves of Lake Erie, as they did not know the depth of the water, and on the tenth of the same month they arrived near the islands which are grouped at the entrance of the Detroit river, where they anchored. Hennepin says of these islands: “They make the finest prospect in the world. The strait (of Detroit) is finer than Niagara, being one league broad, excepting that part which forms the lake that we have called St. Clair.”

The explorers, passing up the river and advancing across Lake Huron, soon landed on the shore of the northern part of the peninsula of Michigan, and in August they built the old Fort of Michilimackinac. The descriptions of the country by these early travellers, although not entirely accurate, are interesting, and they will be regarded as of great value when the shores of the lakes shall be crowded with a dense population. Of the scenery Hennepin remarks: “The country between the two lakes (Erie and Huron) is very well situated, and the soil very fertile. The banks of the strait (Detroit) are vast meadows, and the prospect is terminated with some hills covered with vineyards, trees bearing good fruit, groves and forests so well disposed that one would think Nature alone could not have made, without the help of art, so charming a prospect. That country is stocked with stags, wild goats, and bears, which are good for food, and not pg 022fierce as in other countries; some think they are better than our pork. Turkey-cocks and swans are there very common; and our men brought several other beasts and birds, whose names are unknown to us, but they are extraordinary relishing.

“The forests are chiefly made up of walnut, chestnut, plum, and pear trees, loaded with their own fruit, and vines. There is also abundance of timber for building; so that those who shall be so happy as to inhabit that noble country cannot but remember with gratitude them who have led the way.”

From Michilimackinac the French explorers went to Green Bay. Here La Salle collected a cargo of furs, and dispatched them in the Griffin back to Niagara, in order to pay the debts which he owed in that quarter. But the vessel was never heard of afterward. With fourteen of his Frenchmen he now paddled down Lake Michigan in canoes, marking the shoals of that lake by bear-skins stuck on poles, and feeding on the flesh of that animal. On the first of November, having reached the St. Joseph river of Lake Michigan, he built another rude fort at its mouth, called Fort Miami. Tonti, the Italian, La Salle’s lieutenant, had been sent out upon the borders of the lake with some of his men to procure venison and to collect the straggling Frenchmen, and the party remained at St. Joseph awaiting the return of the Griffin.

But winter now came on, and the Griffin did not appear. The party of La Salle, therefore, on the 1st of September, occupied themselves in driving palisades near the mouth of the St. Joseph river of Lake Michigan, in order to warn off the French bark from the shoals upon the borders of that lake. If the lakes should be frozen before the vessel returned new obstacles would be thrown in his way; for the wilderness presented but few friendly inhabitants and cultivated fields, the shores of the lakes no hospitable ports, so that he determined to proceed upon “his great voyage and glorious undertaking;” and, collecting his crew, and leaving in the rude fort of St. Joseph a few men, he set out with the remainder and three monks. Passing to the Illinois, the party descended that river “by easy journeys, the better to observe that country,” which abounded with marshes, where no safe footing could be obtained. Through these swamps the adventurers proceeded until they arrived at a village of the Illinois Indians, which contained about five hundred untenanted cabins. Here the party of the Sieur de la Salle, being worn down with hunger, provided themselves with a quantity of corn, which was found hidden in holes in the ground under the Indian wigwams, and placed it on shipboard. This point is supposed to have been the present site of Rock Fort, upon the Illinois.

On the 4th of January, 1680, the ship being ready and the voyagers prepared, they proceeded into a lake believed to be Peoria, where they caught some good fish with which they might season their corn, when bands of savages appeared on both sides of the river, to which they had now returned. When, however, the startled Frenchmen supposed that, having been engaged in depredation, their season of fighting had arrived, they were agreeably surprised by being asked who they were, the savages “being naturally inclined to peace.” The question having been answered, they were received by the Indians with much kindness, who, not as savages are used to do, but “as men well-bred and civilized,” spread out before the needy voyagers “beef, and stag, and all sorts of venison and fowls.” This hospitable reception was repaid by discharges of firearms, and by presenting them large draughts of brandy. A feast, continuing three days, was at length concluded, and the Frenchmen discovered in the Illinois great humanity, and a “good disposition pg 023to civil society.” They were “flatterers complaisant and cunning,” and, although they paid a sort of respect to virtue, they were still effeminate and dissolute. In the midst of this nation La Salle concluded to build another fort, for the pacific character of the Indians in that quarter induced him to select this as its most favorable site. A point upon the rising ground, near the river, was chosen for that object, and here a rude fortification was built, which La Salle named Crevecœur, the Broken Heart: a touching name, indicating his disappointment, occasioned by the loss of the Griffin and the consequent wreck of his hopes, the jealousy of a portion of the savages, who had been persuaded that he was a friend of the Iroquois, and the mutiny of his men, which had already begun to show itself by administering to him poison: misfortunes which sunk him in poverty, casting a gloom over his burning but iron heart, beclouding his glorious vision, and plunging him in doubt and despair.

The winter was passed, and La Salle remained in the wilderness until the vegetation began to spring up on the prairies. Bereft of property, with his men, who even sought his life, fast deserting him, with Indians around him, instigated by capricious and uncertain motives, he still had left his own determined spirit: a spirit fearless of obstacles, which burned the brighter amid the gloom that encompassed it. He found it necessary, therefore, to return to the Canadian colonies to raise men and money, and to prepare another outfit, for he was still firmly resolved to persevere in his original project. In accordance with this determination, he employed M. Dacan and Father Louis Hennepin to proceed from that point on an expedition for the discovery of the sources of the Mississippi, with a party consisting of eight persons, and on the last day of February, 1680, he started them on their voyage. At Fort Crevecœur the chevalier remained until the succeeding November, leaving Tonti and his men among the Illinois, and then departed from that fort for Canada. On his passage along the river, being struck with the position of a high rock upon the bank, he at once determined to construct a fort at that point, and, marking out a plan, sent it to Tonti at Fort Crevecœur. Tonti immediately proceeded to the execution of the project, but had hardly commenced when a revolt broke out among the men whom he had left at Fort Crevecœur, and he was obliged to return. This new fort was named St. Louis, and was placed under the command of Tonti when La Salle returned to France. Its site was probably the spot that is now called Rock Fort, in La Salle county, Illinois.

Tonti, thus left in the woods with a garrison of undisciplined Frenchmen, lived on with little quietude until September of 1681, when, to his horror, a body of the Iroquois appeared in this region, having been irritated during a journey along the borders of the lakes. What was the policy of Tonti in reference to these two hostile savage nations does not clearly appear, yet it is evident that he must have preserved neutral ground, acting as a mediator between them. But succor did not come; and at length he was obliged to return to Canada with five men, in the middle of September of the same year, reaching Lake Michigan in October, and spending the winter upon its borders. Thus ended this expedition for discovery along the shores of the great lakes, under the auspices of an individual who should be known as the first navigator of Lake Erie.

But let La Salle be followed to the close of his adventurous career. He had returned to Canada, where he busied himself in raising recruits, constructing vessels, and gathering funds; and the spring of 1682 found him again upon the Illinois, manning Crevecœur, rebuilding Fort St. Louis, and soon after returning to Fort Frontenac to prepare for his second voyage, pg 024which commenced on the Illinois river in 1683, when the mouth of the Mississippi was descried. But La Salle soon departed for France, to lay before the throne the record of what he had done, and also his project for the exploration and settlement of the far-famed Louisiana. A fleet was provided by the agency of Seigneilay, consisting of twenty-four vessels, four of which were destined for Louisiana, carrying two hundred and eighty persons, soldiers, artificers, and “women.” Starting on his voyage across the ocean, on the 24th of July, 1684, he reached his destined point, where he was assassinated by his own men. Thus fell La Salle; a man of energy, accomplished, virtuous, ardent, and self-sacrificing; one of a class who ruin themselves while they benefit the world, neglect the means of happiness, and raise up for themselves a lasting remembrance.

No settlement had at this time been made at Detroit, because the traders and Jesuit missionaries had a more direct and safer route to the upper lakes, from Montreal to Michilimackinac, by the way of the Ottawa river. But this point had long been regarded an eligible position for a settlement, as it commanded a broad tract of country, and stood, as it were, at the gate of the upper lakes, in a direct route from these lakes to the English colonies of New York, by the way of Lake Erie.

The French and English both desired to obtain possession of this post. But while the English were looking to its acquisition, they were anticipated by their rivals. Taking counsel from the movements of their opponents, the French called a grand meeting of the Iroquois, or Five Nations, at Montreal. The chiefs of the different tribes from the St. Lawrence to the Mississippi attended this meeting; also the principal men and the Governor-General of Canada. Here the establishment of a post at that place was discussed, and the grounds on which the two nations based their claims to it weighed. The Iroquois, however, said that, understanding the French were about to make a settlement at that point, they were opposed to the measure, as they had already prohibited the English from doing the same. The Governor-General of Canada replied that the land belonged neither to the Iroquois nor to the English, but to the King of France, and that there was already an expedition on the march for the purpose of erecting a colonial establishment at that place. In accordance with this plan, Antoine de la Motte Cadillac, lord of Bouaget, Mont Desert, having been granted a tract of fifteen acres square by Louis XIV, left Montreal, accompanied by a Jesuit missionary and one hundred men, and arrived at the point of the wilderness which is now the site of Detroit, in the month of July, 1701, where they commenced the foundation of the first permanent settlement in Michigan. Before it had only been known by the French missionaries as a trading-post, and in 1620 it was occupied by an Indian village, which was called Teuchsa Grondie. The Saute de St. Marie, as we have seen, had at that time been founded, and a rude post was also erected at Fort Gratiot, which was a resting point for the fur-trade.

This chain of fortifications was all the defence which was constructed upon the lake shores for nearly a century and a half, and it comprised a part of that line of forts that was projected by La Salle, extending from the St. Lawrence down the Mississippi to New Orleans. Their object was to furnish outposts by which the territory of Canada on the borders of the lakes could be held, the English settlements hemmed in, the Jesuit missionaries and settlers protected against the numerous and capricious tribes of savages in this quarter, and by which the fur-trade might circulate, with full success, along the lakes and streams of the Northwest. The forts of Detroit, Michilimackinac, St. Joseph, and Green Bay were of rude construction, pg 025and the chapels erected by their side were used for the religious assemblies of the French settlers, who were from that time collected around the posts, and also of the Indians who were under the special guardianship of the Jesuit missionaries. These structures, minute points on the borders of the forest, were either roofed with bark or thatched with straw, and on their top was generally erected the cross. Tribes of friendly Indians that could be induced to settle near them had their villages or wigwams around these posts, and also their planting-grounds, in which they cultivated Indian corn, not only for the French settlers, but also for the persons connected with the fur-trade. They derive their principal importance from the fact that they were the only outposts of the French Government in this country before the English conquest, and, consequently, the theatres of the most interesting frontier operations.

About three years after Detroit was founded, the Ottawa Indians in that vicinity were invited to Albany, in New York, upon what was supposed to be a friendly visit. As St. Joseph was surrounded by villages of the Hurons, Pottowatomies, and Miamis, so also was Detroit at that time guarded by parts of the friendly tribes of the Hurons and Pottowatomies near the settlements, and an Ottawa village had been erected on the opposite bank of the river. It would appear that while the Ottawas were in Albany they had been persuaded by the English, who even then wished to obtain possession of the post of their rivals, that it was the design of the French to wrest the dominion of the country from their hands; and they accordingly set fire to the town, but without success, as the fire was soon extinguished. At this time, also, groups of savages of the same tribe, having made a successful expedition against their enemies the Iroquois, and warm with victory, were seen paraded in hostile array in front of the fort; but M. Tonti, who was the commandant of the post, despatching the Sieur de Vincennes against them, he dispersed their bands, and rescued the Iroquois prisoners whom they left behind them in their flight.

The progress of operations on the lake shores was not at this period marked with any very great interest, as the settlements were few; but they reflect, nevertheless, the spirit which prevailed in France during their continuance. The lands lay sleeping in their original silence and solitude, undisturbed by the plough. Occasionally the settlers may have been surprised by their ancient enemies the Iroquois, but the appearance of parts of these nations excited a surprise which soon settled down into peace. But in 1712 the Ottagamies or Foxes, who had been before but little known, but who were probably in secret alliance with the Iroquois, projected a plan for the destruction of Detroit. They made their arrangements in secret, and sent their bands to collect around the new French settlement, which was then garrisoned by a force of twenty soldiers, of whom M. Du Buisson was the commandant. The occupation of the three French villages of Indians, the Ottawas, Pottowatomies, and Hurons, were then absent on a hunting excursion. A converted Indian, however, under the influence of a Jesuit missionary, disclosed their plot before it was ripe for execution, and Du Buisson immediately sent despatches through the forest to call in the aid of the friendly Indians, and prepared for an effective defence.

On the 13th of May of that year the Foxes made their onset upon Detroit with fiendish yells. No sooner, however, was the attack commenced, than portions of the friendly Indians were seen through the wilderness, painted for battle as is their custom, and the gates of the fort were opened to receive them. A consultation was now held at the council-house, and they renewed their league with Du Buisson, and expressed their determination, if necessary, pg 026to die in the defence of the post. On the arrival of the friendly Indians, the Foxes retreated to the forest which until lately adjoined the boundary of Detroit, and intrenched themselves in their camp.

The French then sallied out from the fort, and, backed by their savage allies, erected a block-house in front of their camp, in order to force the enemy from their position. Here the latter were closely besieged; being cut off from their supply of water, and, driven to desperation by thirst and famine, they in turn rushed out from their strongholds upon the French and the friendly Indians, and succeeded in getting possession of a house near the village. This house they fortified, but they were here attacked by the French cannon, and driven back to their former intrenchment.

Finding that their league was likely to prove unsuccessful, the Foxes now sent despatches to the French commandant asking for peace, which was denied them. Upon this they considered themselves insulted, and, burning with revenge, they discharged showers of blazing arrows upon the fort. The lighted matches they had affixed to their arrows coming into contact with the dry roofs of the houses, kindled them into flame, when the precaution was taken to cover the rest with wet skins, and by this means they were preserved. The desperation of the Foxes almost discouraged the French commandant, and he had nearly determined to evacuate Detroit and to retire to Michilimackinac, when his Indian allies promised to redouble their efforts for his defence; and the war-songs and dances of their bands, heard through the solitude of the forest, assured him that a more desperate effort was about to be made in his behalf. The preparations having been finished, the French and Indians advanced upon the Foxes with more determined courage, and, pouring upon their intrenchments a deadly fire, they were soon filled with the dying and the dead. Once more the Foxes demanded peace. Before any capitulation, however, was completed, the enemy retreated towards Lake St. Clair during a storm at midnight, on the nineteenth day of the siege.

The French and their Indian allies, as soon as they discovered their flight, prepared for a pursuit, and soon came upon their camps. An action began, which at the outset was in favor of the Foxes, the French and Indians being repulsed. But a different plan of operation was soon after adopted, and with better success. At the end of three days a field battery was completed, and the intrenchment of the Foxes fell before the French cannon.

The Foxes may be considered the Ishmaelites of the wilderness, for they were at enmity with all the tribes on the lakes. They collected their forces on the Fox river of Green Bay, where they commanded the territory between the lakes and the Mississippi, so that it was dangerous for travellers to pass through that region except in large bodies and armed, while their warriors were sent out to seek objects of plunder and devastation. So great was the danger apprehended by the missionaries and traders of passing through that territory, as well as by the French settlers, and so great the injury already done by those tribes, that an expedition was fitted out against them by the French, backed by their Indian allies, who were rankling under a sense of repeated wrongs. This warlike nation had stationed itself on the banks of the Fox river, at a place then and now called by the French Butte des Morts, or the Hill of the Dead, defending their position by a ditch and three courses of palisades. Here they collected their women and children, and prepared for a desperate resistance. M. de Louvigny, the commandant of the expedition, perceiving the strength of their works, determined not to expose his men by a direct attack, but entered upon a regular siege, and was preparing for the final crisis when the Foxes proposed a capitulation. pg 027This was accepted; and the pride of the Foxes being thus humbled, they sank into obscurity during the remainder of the French war.

Thus it is seen that, although the few French forts upon the lakes were rudely constructed, and but poorly adapted to make a serious and effective defence, they were nevertheless competent, with their small garrisons, to protect the emigrants against the disaffected tribes which were from time to time arrayed against them. The pickets which surrounded them, composed of upright stakes, furnished a line of concealment rather than strong bulwarks, and, together with the light cannon with which they were mounted, enabled the French to suppress the disturbances that occasionally sprang up around their posts.

The early missionaries and French travellers who journeyed through the region of the lakes exhibit a peculiar form of character. Tinctured with the spirit which prevailed in France at the period of their immigration, the novel scenes around them impressed them with those sentiments of romance so peculiar to the French. They show the spirit under which the missionaries and soldiers travelled, and the eloquence with which the scenes around them tended to inspire their minds.

The forests amid which their lot was cast were calculated to fill them with wonder and admiration. A vast chain of inland seas, which appeared to them like oceans, stretched a watery horizon along the borders of the wilderness. Flocks of water-fowl of varied plumage streamed along the shores of the lakes, and the waters swarmed with fish. The face of nature, fresh in the luxuriance of a virgin soil, was everywhere clothed with magnificent vegetation. Did they travel through the Indian trails or bridle-paths which wound through the forest, extensive tracts of oaklands, that seemed like cultivated parks, met their eye, studded with little crystal lakes and streams and covered with flowers. Herds of buffaloes wandered over the prairies, trampling down the flowers which blushed in their track as they rushed on in clumsy motion. Great numbers of moose and elk, which in the size of their horns almost rivalled the branches of the trees, bounded through the thickets. Deer were here and there seen feeding upon the margin of the water-courses. Flocks of wild turkeys and other game filled the woods; the prairies were alive with grouse, and pigeons swept along like clouds above the forest, in numbers which sometimes almost hid the sun.

But more than this, they beheld in the luxuriance of the soil a prize which, if judiciously managed, would be a source of inexhaustible wealth to their nation. Rich clusters of grapes hung from the trees, which reminded them of the champaign districts of France from which they emigrated; and apples and plums, crude to the taste, but that by culture might be much improved, abounded in the groves.

“Lake Erie,” says La Honton, who commanded a fort upon it in 1688, “is justly dignified with the illustrious name of Conti; for assuredly it is the finest upon earth. You may judge of the goodness of the climate from the latitude of the countries that surround it. Its circumference extends to two hundred and thirty leagues, but it affords everywhere a charming prospect, and its shores are decked with oak trees, elms, chestnut trees, walnut, apple, plum trees, and vines which bear their fine clusters up to the very tops of the trees, upon a sort of ground that lies as smooth as one’s hand. Such ornaments as these are sufficient to give rise to the most agreeable idea of a landscape in the world. I cannot express what quantities of deer and turkeys are to be found in these woods, and in the vast meadows that lie upon the south side of the lake. At the foot of the lake we find wild beeves (buffaloes,) upon the banks of two pleasant streams that disembogue pg 028into it without cataracts or rapid currents. It abounds with sturgeon and whitefish, but trouts are very scarce in it, as well as the other fish that we take in the Lakes of Hurons (Huron) and Illinese (Michigan.) It is clear of shelves, rocks, and banks of sand, and has fourteen or fifteen fathoms water. The savages assure us that it is never disturbed by high winds except in the months of December, January, and February, and even then but seldom, which I am very apt to believe, for we had very few storms when I wintered in my fort in 1688, though the fort lay open to the Lake of Hurons. The banks of this lake are commonly frequented by none but warriors, whether the Iroquese, the Illinese, the Oumamies, &c., and it is very dangerous to stop there. By this means it comes to pass that the stags, roebucks, and turkeys run in great bodies up and down the shore all around the lake. In former times the Errironons and the Andastogueronons lived upon the confines of the lake; but they were extirpated by the Iroquese, as well as the other nations marked on the map.”

Charlevoix, who travelled through the region of the lakes in 1720 as an accredited agent of the French government, gives an account equally interesting respecting the condition of the country at the time when he wrote. “The first of June being the day of Pentecost,” says he, “after having travelled up a beautiful river for the space of an hour, which has its rise, as they say, at a great distance, and runs between two fine meadows, we passed over a carrying-place of about sixty paces in breadth, in order to avoid turning round a point which is called the Long Point. It is a very sandy spot of ground, and naturally bears a great quantity of vines. The following days I saw nothing remarkable, but coasted along a charming country, hid at times by very disagreeable prospects, which, however, are of no great extent. Wherever I went ashore I was enchanted by the beauty and variety of a prospect which was terminated by the noblest forests in the world. Add to this, that every part of it swarms with water-fowl. I cannot say whether the woods afford game in equal profusion, but I well know that on the south side there is a prodigious quantity of buffaloes. Were we all to sail as I then did, with a serene sky, in a most charming climate, and in water as clear as that of the purest fountain; were we sure of finding everywhere secure and agreeable places to pass the night in, where we might enjoy the pleasure of hunting at a small expense, breathe at our ease the purest air, and enjoy the prospect of the finest countries in the universe, we might possibly be tempted to travel to the end of our days. I recalled to mind those ancient patriarchs who had no fixed place of abode; who lived in tents; who were, in a manner, the masters of all the countries they passed through; and who enjoyed in peace and tranquillity all their productions, without the plague inevitable in the possession of a real and fixed estate. How many oaks represented to me that of Mamre! How many fountains put me in mind of that of Jacob! Each day a new situation, chosen at pleasure; a neat and commodious house, built and furnished with all necessaries in less than a quarter of an hour, and floored with a pavement of flowers continually springing up on a carpet of the most beautiful green; on all sides simple and natural beauties, unadulterated and inimitable by any art.”

Charlevoix at that early period visited Detroit for the purpose of viewing the young colony, where he recommended that an accession should be made to the strength of the infant settlement from Montreal. This addition to their power was approved of by the French, on the ground that it would secure them the fur-trade, then too much within reach of the English of New York. He also attended, while here, a council of the chiefs of the three villages near Detroit, where the question was discussed whether it was pg 029proper to introduce brandy among the Indians, a practice which the Jesuits finally succeeded in abolishing. In alluding to Detroit, he says, “It is pretended that this is the finest part of all Canada; and really, if we can judge by appearances, nature seems to have denied it nothing which can contribute to make a country delightful: hills, meadows, fields, lofty forests, rivulets, fountains, rivers, and all of them so excellent in their kind, and so happily blended as to equal the most romantic wishes. The lands, however, are not equally proper for every kind of grain; but most are of a wonderful fertility, and I have known some produce good wheat for eighteen years running without any manure; and, besides, all of them are proper for some particular use. The islands seem placed on purpose for the pleasure of the prospect, the river and lake abound in fish, the air is pure, and the climate temperate and extremely wholesome.”^[3]

The Jesuit being requested by Tonti to visit the great council at Detroit, consented to do so on the day of his arrival; and his account of that council is here transcribed:

“On the 7th of June, which was the day of my arrival at the fort, (Detroit,) Mons. de Tonti, who commands here, assembled the chiefs of the three villages I have just mentioned, in order to communicate to them the orders he had received from the Marquis de Vaudreuil. They heard him calmly and without interruption. When he had done speaking, the orator of the Hurons told him in a few words that they were going to consult about what he had proposed to them, and would give him their answer in a short time. It is the custom of the Indians not to give an immediate answer on an affair of any importance. Two days afterward they assembled at the commandant’s, who was desirous I should be present at this council, together with the officers of the garrison. Sasteratfi, whom the French call King of the Hurons, and who is, in fact, hereditary chief of the Tionnontatez, who are the true Hurons, was also present on this occasion; but as he is still a minor, he came only for form’s sake: his uncle, who governs in his name, and who is called regent, spoke in quality of orator of the nation. Now the honor of speaking in the name of the whole is generally given to some Huron, when any of them happen to be of the council. The first view of their assemblies gives you no great idea of the body. Imagine to yourself madame, half a score of savages almost stark naked, with their hair disposed in as many different manners as there are persons in the assembly, and all of them equally ridiculous; some with laced hats, all with pipes in their pg 030mouths, and with the most unthinking faces. It is, besides, a rare thing to hear one utter so much as a single word in a quarter of an hour, or to hear any answer made even in monosyllables; not the least mark of distinction, nor any respect paid to any person whatsoever. We should, however, be apt to change our opinions of them on hearing the result of their deliberations.”

This, as is described by Charlevoix, was the general mode in which the Indian councils were held with the French upon the lakes when questions of importance were to be decided. It was necessary to secure the concurrence of the savages in every measure of policy, so that these tribes should co-operate with them in carrying it into effect.

COLONIAL PIONEERS.

The posts of the French upon the lakes, while the Western Territory was under their government, exhibit a peculiar form of character, combined with institutions no less singular. The few feeble colonies that were scattered through this territory had emigrated principally from Brittany and Normandy, provinces of France. Working men, drawn from the more dense settlements around Quebec and Montreal, the seats of the bishops, the seigneurs, and the Jesuits, were sent out for the purpose of building up the posts, and of protecting the fur-trade carried on through the chain of the great lakes. Despatched for these objects, they were expected to endure cheerfully the hardships they would be called on to encounter in their establishment. The population assembled at these posts consisted of the military by which they were garrisoned, Jesuits, priests, merchants, traders, and peasants. But a small portion of this population, however, was stationary. It was moved from place to place, as the interests of the French government seemed to require.

The French commandants at these posts were the most prominent individuals, and, with their garrisons, constituted a little monarchy within themselves. Their power was arbitrary, extending to the right of doing whatever they might deem expedient for the welfare of the settlements, whether in making laws or in punishing crimes. Under this simple and imperfect form of government, the oldest merchants residing at the several posts were reverenced as the head men of their particular colony. Careful and frugal in their habits, without much of what we should call rigid virtue, it was their policy to exercise their influence among the settlers with paternal mildness, that they might secure their obedience, to keep on good terms with the Indians in order to retain their trade, and they often fostered a large number of half-breed children around their posts, who were the offspring of their licentiousness.

The Coureurs des Bois, or rangers of the woods, were either French or half-breeds, a hardy race, accustomed to labor and privation, and thoroughly conversant with the character and habits of the savage tribes from which they obtained their furs and peltry. They could, with no less skill than the Indians, ply the oar of the light canoe upon the waters of the lakes, were equally dexterous in hunting and trapping, and, as they pointed their rifles at the squirrel on the top of the tallest tree, they could confidently say to their ball, like the ancient warrior, “to the right eye.” These half-breeds generally spoke the language both of their French and Indian parents, and knew just enough of their religion to be alike regardless of that of each. Employed by the French companies as voyageurs or guides, their forms, which were models of manly beauty, were developed to great strength by propelling the canoe along the lakes and rivers, and by pg 031carrying heavy packs of merchandise for the fur-trade across the portages, by means of leather straps, suspended from their shoulders or resting against their foreheads. From having travelled through numerous points of the wilderness, they became familiar with the trails of the most remote Indian tribes, and with the depth of the water in every inlet and stream of the lakes, as well as with every island, rock, and shoal. Their ordinary dress was a “moleton” or blanket-coat, a red cap, a belt of cloth passed around the middle, and a loose shirt. Sometimes, in their voyages through the lakes they wore a brown coat or cloak, with a cape which could be drawn up from their shoulders over their heads like a hood. At other times they had on elkskin trowsers, the seams of which were ornamented with fringes, a surtout of coarse blue cloth reaching to the calf of the leg, a scarlet-colored worsted sash fastened about the waist, in which was stuck a broad knife, employed in dissecting the animals taken in hunting, and moccasins made of buckskin. Affable, gay, and active, these men were employed by the French merchants either as guides, canoemen, carriers, or traders, to advance into the wilderness and procure their furs from the Indians, to transport them along the lakes and streams, and lodge them in the several depots or factories which were established in connection with the French forts.

The peasants, or that class of the lake settlers who cultivated small patches of ground within the narrow circle of their picket-fences, were few. Their dress was peculiar and even wild. They wore surtouts of coarse blue cloth, fastened at the middle with a red sash, a scarlet woollen cap containing a scalping-knife, and moccasins made of deerskin. Civilization and barbarism were here strangely mingled. Groups of Indians from the remotest shores of the lakes, wild in their garb, would occasionally make their appearance at the settlements with numerous canoes laden with beaver-skins, which they had brought down to these places of deposit. Among them were intermixed the French soldiers of the garrison, with their blue coats turned up with white facings, and the Jesuits, with their long gowns and black bands, from which were suspended by silver chains the rosary and crucifix, who, with the priests, had their stations around the forts, and ministered in the chapels.

Agriculture was but little encouraged by the policy of the fur-trade or the character of the population. It was confined to a few patches of Indian corn and wheat, which they rudely cultivated, with little knowledge of correct husbandry. They ground their grain in windmills, which were scattered along the banks of Detroit river and the St. Clair lake. The recreations of the French colonists consisted in attending the religious services held in the rude chapels on the borders of the wilderness, in adorning their altars with wild flowers, in dancing to the sound of the violin at each other’s houses, in hunting the deer through the oak-land openings, and in paddling their light canoes across the clear and silent streams. The women employed themselves in making coarse cotton and woollen cloths for the Indian trade. In their cottages were hung rude pictures of saints, the Madonna and child, and the leaden crucifix supplied the place of one of silver. Abundance of game strayed in the woods, and the waters were alive with fish.

As these immigrants were sent out by the French Government, they were provided by its direction, through the commissariat department, with canvass for tents, hoes, axes, sickles, guns, so many pounds of powder, and meat, with the stipulation that these should be paid for when a certain quantity of land had been cleared.

The Jesuits, who were the most active agents in the exploration of these pg 032regions, were, as a class, persons of highly-cultivated and intelligent minds and of polished manners. The narratives of their wanderings through the wilderness throw a coloring of romance around the prairies, and forests, and lakes, which amounts almost to a classic spirit; yet they have left upon the lake shores but few monuments either of their benevolence or their enterprise. The success of the Jesuits among the Indians was small compared with the extent of their labors. By the savages these Catholic missionaries were regarded as medicine-men and jugglers, on whom the destiny of life and death depended; and, although they were greatly feared, they succeeded in making but few converts to their religious faith, excepting young children or Indians just about to sink into their graves.

The administration of the law around these scattered posts was founded on no compact and settled system. The Coutume de Paris, or custom of Paris, was the law of Canada; but this code, although it was received and practised upon in the older and more populous settlements of the lower province, was not adopted and enforced with any degree of uniformity or strictness among the more distant colonists. The commandants of the posts had the principal cognizance of the population around them, and exercised their authority in a mild though arbitrary manner. Indeed, such was the feudal character of this law, that the French paid a willing and implicit obedience to their commandants, who, being invested with unlimited power, were styled the “governors of the posts.” A perfect system of law can exist only where there is sufficient intelligence to mark out and determine the rule of right, and sufficient moral power to enforce it. A register was kept, in which the character and circumstances of the colonists were recorded, and in which the Jesuit or the commandant of the post might inspect the condition of each one as upon a map. There was here no system of education like that which prevailed in New England; and all the knowledge acquired by the children of the colonists was obtained from the priests and related to the tenets of the Catholic Church.

A singular form of character was also thrown around the territory by the mythology of the savages. The Indians had not only their good Manitos, but their evil spirits; and the wild features of the lake scenery appears to have impressed their savage minds with superstition. They believed that all the prominent points of this wide region were created and guarded by monsters; and the images of these they sculptured on stone, painted upon the rocks, or carved upon the trees. Those who obeyed these supernatural beings, they thought, would after death range among flowery fields filled with the choicest game, while those who neglected their counsels would wander amid dreary solitudes, stung by “gnats as large as pigeons.”

The plan of distributing the land was calculated to prevent the settlement of the country. A law was passed requiring the houses of the inhabitants to be placed upon ground with a front of only one acre and a half and running forty acres back. This kept the settlements in a close line along the banks of the streams. A feudal and aristocratic spirit also controlled the grants of land. The commandants of the forts had the power to convey lands, with the permission of the governor-general of Canada, subject to the confirmation of the King of France, the right of shooting hares, rabbits, and partridges being reserved to the grantor. The grantee was bound to clear and improve the land within three years from the date of his deed. The timber that might be necessary for the construction of fortifications or vessels was reserved; and no person was permitted to work upon his land at the trade of a blacksmith, gunsmith, armorer, or brewer but on pain of forfeiture. pg 033He was forbidden the trafficking in spiritous liquors with the Indians; and, what was the most singular requisition of all, he was bound to plant or assist in planting a long Maypole at the door of the principal manor on the first of May in each year. Such were the feudal features of this system, equally opposed to the increase of the settlements, to freedom, and independence. How striking is the contrast between this system and the policy of our American laws now acting on the soil, which, by furnishing land cheap, offer every encouragement to agriculture, and thus freely open the treasures of the earth to the labors of our hardy and enterprising citizens.

As early as 1749, the post of Detroit and the others upon the Northwestern lakes, Michilimackinac, Ste. Marie, and St. Joseph, received an accession of immigrants. The last two were called after the saints of those names in the Catholic calendar. Michilimackinac derives its name from the Indian words Michi-mackinac, meaning a great turtle, from its supposed resemblance to that animal, or from the Chippewa words Michine-maukinonk, signifying the place of giant fairies, who were supposed by Indian superstition to hover over the waters around that beautiful island. The origin of the name of Detroit is the French word Detroit, signifying a strait, because the post was situated on the strait connecting Lake Erie with Lake St. Clair.

During the whole period of the French domination, extending from the first settlement of the country down to the year 1760, the traffic of Michigan was confined principally to the trade in furs. This interesting traffic upon the great lakes was carried on by the French under peculiar circumstances. As the forests of the lake region abounded with furs which were of great value in the mother-country, it became an important object with the Canadian government to prosecute that trade with all the energy in its power. The rich furs of the beaver and otter were particularly valuable, from the great demand for them in Europe. Large canoes made of bark and strongly constructed were despatched annually to the lakes laden with packs of European merchandise, consisting of blankets, printed calicoes, ribbons, cutlery, and trinkets of various kinds, which the Indians used, and Detroit, Michilimackinac, and Ste. Marie were their principal places of deposit.

To secure the interests of the large companies, licenses for this trade were granted by the governor-general of Canada to the merchants, who sometimes sold them to the coureurs des bois. The possessor of one of these licenses was entitled to load two large canoes, each of which was manned by six men. The cargo of one of these canoes was valued at about a thousand crowns. This merchandise was sold to the traders on a credit, and at about fifteen per cent. advance on the price it would command in ready money. But the voyages were very profitable, and there was generally a gain of about one hundred per cent. on the sum invested in the enterprise. The traders endured most of the fatigue and the merchants received most of the profit. On the return of one of these expeditions, six hundred crowns were taken by the merchant for his license; and as he had sold the thousand crowns’ worth of goods at their prime cost, from this sum he also deducted forty per cent. for bottomry; the remainder was then divided among the six coureurs des bois, who were thus left with but a small compensation for all their perils and hardship.

The coureurs des bois were the active agents of the fur-trade. Thoroughly acquainted with the navigation of the lakes, they fearlessly swept along the waters of these inland seas, encamping at night upon its shores. Of mixed white and Indian blood, they formed the connecting link between civilization and barbarism. Their dress was also demi-savage. Lively and sanguine, they were at all times ready to join the Indians in the dance, or pay pg 034respect to their ceremonies. Their French fathers had familiarly associated with the native tribes, and their mothers and wives were the inmates of Indian camps. In many respects their character resembled that of mariners upon the ocean, for the same general causes might be said to operate upon both. Instead of navigating the high seas in ships tossed by storms, and ploughing the waves from port to port, it was their lot to propel their light canoes over the fresh-water seas of the forest; where, hurried from one Indian village to another, like the mariner on the ocean, they acquired all those habits which belong to an unsettled and wandering life.

Advancing to the remote shores of Lake Superior or Lake Michigan, and following the courses of the rivers which flow into them, as soon as they reached the points where the Indians were in the habit of resorting, they at once encamped. Here they opened their packages of goods, exhibited them to their savage customers, and exchanged them for furs; and, having disposed of all their merchandise, and loading their canoes with the peltries it had procured, they bade adieu to their Indian friends, and started on their voyage back, with feathers stuck in their hats, keeping time with their paddles to the Canadian boat-song.

La Honton, in his Journal, which was published in France, and a translation of which was afterward published in this country, gives an interesting account of the fur-trade, showing the general course of that traffic while the Canadas were under the French. The author resided at Montreal. At this time (1688) Michilimackinac was the principal stopping place for the traders on their way from Montreal or Detroit to the forests bordering on Lake Superior. Here their goods were deposited, and here the furs were collected for their return freight. Sometimes, however, the traders, accompanied by numerous canoes of the Ottawas, would proceed directly to the older settlements on the St. Lawrence, where they supposed they might be able to dispose of their cargoes to greater advantage than at the interior posts.

The following is La Honton’s account of the fur-trade at the period referred to:

“Much about the same day,” says he, “there arrived twenty-five or thirty canoes, being homeward bound from the great lakes, and laden with beaver-skins. The cargo of each canoe amounted to forty packs, each of which weighs fifty pounds, and will fetch fifty crowns at the farmer’s office. These canoes were followed by fifty more of the Ottawas and Hurons, who come down every year to the colony in order to make a better market than they can do in their own country of Michilimackinac, which lies on the banks of the Lake of Hurons, at the mouth of the Lake of Illinese (Michigan). Their way of trading is as follows:

“Upon their arrival they encamp at the distance of five or six hundred paces from the town. The first day is spent in ranging their canoes, unloading their goods, and pitching their tents, which are made of birch bark. The next day they demand audience of the governor-general, which is granted them that same day, in a public place.

“Upon this occasion each nation makes a ring for itself. The savages sit upon the ground with pipes in their mouths, and the governor is seated in an arm-chair; after which there starts up an orator or speaker from one of these nations, who makes an harangue importing that his brethren are come to visit the governor-general, to renew with him their wonted friendship; that their chief view is to promote the interest of the French, some of whom being unacquainted with the way of traffic, and being too weak for the transporting of goods from the lakes, would be unable to deal in beaver-skins if his brethren did not come in person to deal with them in their own colonies. pg 035That they knew very well how acceptable their arrival is to the inhabitants of Montreal, in regard of the advantage they reap from it; that, in regard to the beaver-skins, they were much valued in France, and the French goods given in exchange were of an inconsiderable value; and that they mean to give the French sufficient proof of their readiness to furnish them with what they desire so earnestly.

“That, by way of preparation for another year’s cargo, they are come to take in exchange fusees, and powder and ball, in order to hunt great numbers of beavers, or to gall the Iroquese in case they offered to disturb the French settlements; and, in fine, in confirmation of their words, that they throw a porcelain collar (belt of wampum), with some beaver-skins, to the kitchi-okima (so they call the governor-general), whose protection they laid claim to in case of any robbery or abuse committed upon them in the town. The spokesman having made an end of his speech, returns to his place and takes up his pipe, and the interpreter explains the substance of the harangue to the governor, who commonly gives a very civil answer, especially if the presents be valuable, in consideration of which he likewise makes them a present of some trifling things. This done, the savages rise up and return to their huts, to make suitable preparation for the ensuing truck.

“The next day the savages make their slaves carry the skins to the houses of the merchants, who bargain with them for such clothes as they want. All the inhabitants of Montreal are allowed to traffic with them in any commodity but rum and brandy, these two being excepted upon the account that when the savages have got what they want, and have any skins left, they drink to excess, and then kill their slaves; for when they are in drink they quarrel and fight, and if they were not held by those who are sober, would certainly make havoc one of another. However, you must observe that none of them will touch either gold or silver. As soon as the savages have made an end of their truck, they take leave of the governor, and so return home by the river Ottawas. To conclude, they do a great deal of good, both to the poor and rich, for you will readily apprehend that everybody turns merchant upon such occasions.”

To the question what was the condition of the Northwest territory when it was claimed and occupied by France, we can furnish a ready answer. It was a vast ranging-ground for the numerous Indian tribes, who roamed over it in all the listless indolence of their savage independence; of the Jesuit missionaries, who, under the garb of their religious orders, strove to gain the influence of the red men in behalf of their Government as well as their Church, by their conversion to the Catholic faith; the theatre of the most important military operations of the French soldiers at the West; and the grand mart where the furs, which were deemed the most valuable products of this region, were collected for shipment to France, under a commercial system which was originally projected by the Cardinal de Richelieu.

The condition of a country, although often in some measure modified by the nature of the climate and the soil, is more generally founded upon the character of the people and that of its laws. This is clearly exhibited in the case of the Northwest; for while that domain was rich in all the natural advantages that could be furnished by the soil, it was entirely barren of all those moral and intellectual fruits springing from bold and energetic character, directed by a free, enlightened, and wholesome system of jurisprudence.

STRUGGLE BETWEEN FRANCE AND ENGLAND FOR POSSESSION.

While the forests were thus reposing in the silence of nature, broken only by the peaceful operations of the fur-trade, more important events were pg 036transpiring beyond their eastern boundary. From the Atlantic to Quebec, France and England, who seemed to have transferred their hereditary hatred from the Old World to the New, had been long struggling to obtain undivided dominion over the northern portion of the latter. Backed by Indian allies, who leagued themselves with one or the other, as they were influenced by caprice or a desire to prostrate some hostile tribe, these two great powers engaged in a desperate struggle for supremacy. The whole of Canada, Illinois, and the territory thence to the borders of the Mississippi were then claimed by the French, while the English occupied most of the country east of the Alleghany Mountains.

Both nations found efficient auxiliaries among the Indian tribes. On the side of the English were the Iroquois, called by them the Six Nations. These combined tribes formed the most powerful savage confederacy then existing on the continent. It consisted of the Onondagas, the Cayugas, the Senecas, the Oneidas, and the Mohawks, and in 1712 the Tuscaroras of North Carolina were received into the league. Their domain embraced a very extensive tract of country, and from time to time it was enlarged by new conquests. They were robust and muscular, and delighted in ornamenting their persons with the finery so highly prized by the Indians, such as medals, ribbons, the skins of wild beasts, and porcupine quills dyed of various colors. They possessed great energy, decision, and perseverance, and, when excited, were remarkable for the force and eloquence with which they spoke. Towards the west they claimed supremacy over the country as far as the Mississippi, and towards the northwest as far as Hudson’s Bay; in short, all that was not occupied by the Southern Indians, the Sioux, the Knisteneaux, and the Chippewas. Their affairs were conducted with more system than those of the more western tribes. Every year they held a grand council, consisting of representatives from each nation, at Onondaga, in the present State of New York. Their youth were taught to bend the bow before their muscles were sufficiently strong to propel the arrow to its mark, and to grapple with the wild beasts of the forests as they would with the French, or their enemies the Algonquins. The cause of their attachment to the English is not known; but it was probably in part caprice, and partly a desire to overthrow the power of their rivals who have been mentioned. When their naked and painted warriors appeared on the edge of the forest, it was always a signal that mischief was at hand. “We are born free: we neither depend on Onondio nor Corlaer” (France nor England), said Haaskouan to De la Barre in 1684, and the course they pursued was the performance of this declaration.

The Algonquins, on the other hand, were the allies of the French. The territory of this nation extended from Lake Erie along the whole chain of the upper lakes to Lake Winnepeg and Hudson’s Bay on the north, and to the mouth of the Ohio river on the south. They were connected with the tribes immediately east of the St. Lawrence, and with those in the interior of New England. There were two powerful tribes, however, which were not connected with this league, the Hurons and the Foxes. The Hurons were of Iroquois origin; but, from causes which are not known, they had severed from that confederacy, and taken part with the French; while the Foxes, who were of the Algonquin race, sided with the English. The causes of the Friendship entertained by the Algonquins residing on the borders of the lakes for the former are obvious. The French mingled familiarly with them, and endeavored by all possible means to secure their good-will. The traders visited their villages and took to themselves Indian wives. The Jesuit missionaries erected chapels in their camps, presented to them sculptured pg 037images, styling them their patron saints, held the crucifix before the dying, offered up their devotions with them before the picture of the Virgin, and planted the cross upon their graves. The French and Indians hunted together, lodged in the same wigwam, and drank from the same cup. On the contrary, the English were cold, distant, and forbidding in their manners: how, then, could the Algonquins be friendly to them, or how the enemies of the French?

For a long time these savages had been sent out into the neighboring wilderness to attack the feeble settlements upon their borders, and to bring back the scalps of their murdered victims. Many a spot was made wet with the blood of its unfortunate inhabitants, and many a red column of British regulars wavered before the rifles of the combined French and Indians, covered by some swamp, or fighting from behind a breastwork of fallen trees. The forests were often lighted up by the conflagration of burning villages, and the midnight solitude was startled by the shrieks of females under the tomahawk or scalping-knife, and mocked by human fiends, whose horrid thirst for blood was no less insatiable than that of the wolves which howled about their camps.

It was at length determined by the British Government to make a powerful effort to possess themselves of the French colonies. Both France and England, it will be recollected, claimed these countries on the same grounds: that is, original discovery, conquest, and appropriation.

In 1757 the Earl of Chatham projected a campaign of a very formidable character against the French colonies, and the last great struggle soon commenced. Twelve thousand British soldiers arrived in this country, under the command of General Amherst; and, at the same time, bodies of rangers, trained to the mode of fighting peculiar to the French and Indians, and also to the hardships of the forest, or what was called the “woods service,” were brought into the field under the command of a citizen of New Hampshire, Major Robert Rogers, to co-operate with the British regulars and the colonial troops.

Numerous positions having been occupied along the lake shores and the borders of the French colonies, in 1759 it was determined to bring the question to a speedy and decisive issue. It was proposed to divide the English army into three parts, and to penetrate to the very heart of Canada in three different directions, with a view to overthrow the French power at a single blow. Brigadier-General Wolfe, a young and gallant officer, was ordered to ascend the St. Lawrence and lay siege to Quebec. The duty assigned to General Amherst was to seize on Ticonderoga and Crown Point, and thence to proceed by the way of Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence river to Quebec, to co-operate with General Wolfe in the siege of that place. The third division of the army, under the command of General Prideaux, was destined to attack Niagara, and, after obtaining possession of it, to be embarked on Lake Ontario, and proceed against Montreal. If that city should surrender before Quebec, General Prideaux was to unite his forces with those of General Wolfe, under the walls of the latter. General Amherst, after making great exertions, was obliged to retire into winter quarters without accomplishing his object. General Prideaux, as he had been directed, advanced against Niagara, which was garrisoned by a body of French troops from Detroit, Venango, and Presque Isle, and succeeded in capturing that post.

The most difficult and important branch of the attack had been entrusted to Wolfe. The English fleet, having on board eight thousand men, under the command of this general, soon reached the Island of Orleans, opposite pg 038to Quebec, in the St. Lawrence river. The French force amounted to nine thousand men. The English were led on by a young officer, whose war-cry, like that of Nelson at a later period, was “Victory or Westminster Abbey.” The first attack made by him was upon Montmorenci, where his troops were landed under cover of a fire from the ships-of-war. Here at last, then, on the broad St. Lawrence, were unfurled the hostile banners of these great rival nations. The glory of the two crowns was at stake. The cross of England glowed brightly upon its crimson ground, amid martial music, and floating above thousands of muskets glittering in the beams of the morning sun. Nor was the French force wanting in the gallantry which distinguished their opponents. The lilies embroidered upon the folds of their flag were borne aloft in triumph above hearts as brave as ever beat in human bosoms. Tribes of savages were seen armed and painted for the struggle which was to decide the destinies of these mighty rivals. The French force was commanded by a gallant and chivalrous officer, the Marquis de Montcalm. Before them lay the great river of Canada; beside them were the walls of Quebec, the stronghold of their power; and at a distance were seen the Falls of Montmorenci, glittering like a sheet of molten silver as they tumbled from the cliffs.

The effective force under Montcalm consisted of about ten thousand men, and his position was defended by floating batteries and armed vessels. Wolfe, by way of stratagem, sailed nine miles up the river, in order to distract the attention of the French army: when the French commander detached M. Bougainville with a strong force to that point to prevent the English from landing. But about midnight the boats of the British ships floated silently down the St. Lawrence, and, being hailed by the French sentinels who were stationed on its banks with the cry of “Who comes there?” the English, who knew their watchword, replied “La France,” and were suffered to proceed unmolested to their point of debarcation.

At about four o’clock in the morning the British troops began to land, not having been discovered in their progress down the river. Soon after they commenced ascending the precipitous declivity which leads to the Heights of Abraham. They were protected by two field-pieces, and their front was covered by the Royal Americans, a corps raised in New York and New England, as also by a reserve of one regiment and the light infantry. They soon gained the heights and prepared for battle. The Marquis de Montcalm, the moment he discovered the English troops in possession of these important heights, sallied from Beauport with only a single field-piece. The two hostile armies soon met. The Canadian marksmen and Indian allies, no less expert with the rifle, were detached by the French commander to conceal themselves among the bushes and corn-fields, from which they could most effectually annoy the enemy. The French troops advanced with great firmness, although composed for the most part of raw and undisciplined militia. As soon as they had reached within about two hundred yards of the British line, they commenced a sharp but irregular fire, supported by the Indians and the Canadian marksmen, who with their rifles did great execution. But they were met by that unshaken courage and obstinate determination which are characteristic of British soldiers: and the Scotch Highlanders, with their broadswords, making terrible havoc in their ranks, the French columns began to waver. General Wolfe, in the commencement of the action, received a bullet in his wrist while gallantly leading his men to the charge; but, winding a handkerchief about the wound, he continued to fight on as though nothing had occurred. A second ball soon after struck him in the breast, and he fell. While leaning his head on the shoulder of pg 039his officers, he was startled from the lethargy of death by shouts from his ranks: “They fly! they fly!” “Who fly?” he faintly inquired. “The French,” was the reply. “Then,” said he, “I die happy;” and his spirit departed amid the thunders of the battle. The Marquis de Montcalm, the commander of the French army, was also mortally wounded, and died a few days after the engagement. Monuments have been erected to these two heroes in the city of Quebec. The remains of the French army, retiring to Montreal, demanded a capitulation, which was granted. Accordingly, in November, 1760, articles of agreement were entered into between General Amherst and the Marquis de Vaudreuil, by which the latter surrendered to the Crown of England Detroit, Michilimackinac, and all the posts within the government of Canada that were in possession of the French.

A few days after the signing of this capitulation, Major Rogers was detached by General Amherst, at the head of a competent force, to take possession of the distant posts on the frontier, to administer to the French inhabitants there the oath of allegiance, and effectually to establish the power of England in place of that of France. He was ordered to embark his troops in boats, on Lake Erie, stopping on his way at Presque Isle, to make known to the officer of that post the instructions he had received. He was also the bearer of despatches to Brigadier-General Monkton, which he was to deliver and receive from that officer his final orders as to the manner in which he should proceed to take possession of Detroit, Michilimackinac, and the other French posts. Having accomplished the objects of the expedition, he was to return in compliance with the orders that might be given him by General Monkton, transport his boats across the portage of Niagara Falls into Lake Ontario, where they were to be delivered into the hands of his commanding officer, and thence he was to march his detachment by land to Albany.

In obedience to these instructions, Major Rogers embarked the force assigned him in fifteen whale-boats at Montreal. On arriving at Fort Frontenac he met with a party of Indians who were out upon a hunting excursion, and communicated to them the first news of the capitulation. They found these savages friendly, and were supplied by them with wild fowl and venison. Soon after they fell in with another body of about fifty Indians, on a stream which flows into Lake Ontario, where they were taking salmon. They all appeared to be gratified with the intelligence that the French had surrendered the country. After arriving at Toronto, the detachment were not long in reaching Niagara, where they provided themselves with moccasins, blankets, and such other articles as were necessary for the expedition. Proceeding on their way to Detroit they soon reached Presque Isle, from which point Rogers embarked in a canoe and proceeded to the old site of Fort Duquesne, now called Pittsburg. Here he found Brigadier-General Monkton, and delivered to him the despatches he had brought from General Amherst. A detachment of Royal Americans, or colonial troops, under Captain Campbell, were marched from this post for the purpose of aiding him in so hazardous an expedition. At the same time an officer was ordered to drive forty fat cattle from Presque Isle to Detroit, where it was supposed they would be wanted by the troops. Captain Wait was also sent back to Niagara for provisions, and directed on his return to coast along the northern shore of Lake Erie and encamp about twenty miles east of Detroit. Thus started the first English military expedition that had ever ventured upon the western shore of Lake Erie for the purpose of wresting from the French their possessions in these distant regions.

At this time appeared Pontiac, a chief who was destined to figure largely in the history of this territory at a subsequent period. His residence was pg 040Pechee Island, which looks out upon the waters of Lake St. Clair, about eight miles above the city of Detroit. An Ottawa by birth, and belonging to a tribe which claimed to be the oldest in this quarter, he was greatly esteemed both by the English and French. Thus his influence was greater than that of any other individual among the lake tribes. His personal qualities, indeed, were such as to ensure respect; and he possessed, moreover, hereditary claims to authority, according to the customs of the Indians. His form was cast in the finest mould of savage grace and strength, and his eye seemed capable of penetrating at a glance the secret motives which actuated the tribes around him. Such was Pontiac, the daring chief who was about to dispute the English claims to the territory of the lakes. He could not endure the sight of this people driving the game from his hunting-grounds, and his old friends and allies, the French, from the lands they had so long possessed. Accordingly, when he was apprised that an English detachment was advancing along the lakes to take possession of the country, he could not restrain his indignation. Forthwith he despatched a body of Ottawas from Detroit, with a message to the English, who were then encamped at the mouth of Chogage river, informing them that Pontiac, the King of the country where they were, was approaching, and requesting them to stop until he should arrive. Pontiac, on reaching the English camp, demanded of Rogers the business on which he had come, and how he dared to enter his country without his permission. Major Rogers replied that he had no designs against the Indians, and that his only object was the removal of the French, who had hitherto been the means of preventing all friendly relations between his tribes and the English. Pontiac then gave him to understand that he should stand in his path until the morning, and at the same time presented him with a small string of wampum, signifying that he forbade the English detachment from advancing any farther without his permission. He also told Major Rogers that if he was in want of any food he would send his warriors, and they should procure it for him.

A council having in the meantime been held, Pontiac made his appearance in the English camp the next morning, saying that he had the most friendly disposition towards the English, and he smoked the pipe of peace with their commander. At the same time, he informed Rogers that he would protect him against a party of Indians who had stationed themselves at the mouth of the Detroit river; and he sent also several of his warriors to assist Captain Brewer in bringing on the cattle which he was driving to Detroit. In addition to this, he despatched messengers to the Indians encamped on the Detroit river, and to those on the north and west shores of Lake Erie, to inform them that he had given the English permission to pass through his territory; and, still farther to evince his friendship, he supplied them with venison, wild turkeys, and several bags of parched corn.

Encamping at some distance from the mouth of the Detroit river, Rogers despatched the following letter to M. Bellestre, the French commandant at Detroit:

After this he encamped with his detachment on a stream which empties into Lake Erie. Here he found a number of Huron chiefs, who inquired of him whether the reports which they had heard in regard to the surrender of the territory were true; apprizing him, at the same time, that they had been sent out by M. Bellestre for the purpose of defending the country, and to obtain information as to the events which had transpired below. Rogers confirmed the fact of the capitulation, and made a speech to the Hurons of the most conciliatory character; after which he encamped at the west end of Lake Erie with his detachment. The next day he met with a party of Indians, who told him that Bellestre was “a strong man,” and that he intended to fight the English. Not long after, sixty Indians, who said that they had come from Detroit the previous day, arrived at his camp. They offered to conduct the English detachment to that place, and informed Rogers that M. Brheme, who had been sent by him with the letter, had been imprisoned by the French commandant.

While the English were thus advancing towards Detroit, the French commandant was not idle. He had collected round his post numerous tribes of savages, and, knowing that they were strongly impressed by symbols, he had caused a pole to be erected, with the image of a man’s head on the top, and upon this was placed a crow. He told the Indians that the head represented the English, and the crow himself, and that the meaning of it all was, that the French would scratch out the brains of their enemies. The Indians, however, would not believe it, and expressed their apprehensions that the reverse would be the fact, and that the English at Detroit would scratch out the brains of the French.

About this time Rogers received the following letter from the commandant of Detroit:

Shortly after, on the 25th of November, the English commander received the letter inserted below from M. Bellestre:

After advancing five miles farther up the Detroit river, Rogers the next day sent a second letter, of which the following is a copy, by Captain Campbell:

After despatching this letter he pushed his boats up the Detroit river to within half a mile of the fort, and encamped his detachment in a field.

The English camp was soon visited by Captain Campbell and a French officer, who presented to Major Rogers M. Bellestre’s compliments, stating that he was instructed by that officer to inform him that the post had been surrendered. Lieutenants Lefflie and McCormick were then sent with thirty-six Royal Americans, who immediately took possession of the fort; when the Indians, to the number of seven hundred, who had been collected there by the French commander, set up a tremendous yell, exulting that their prophecy concerning the crow had been verified.

Major Rogers now formally took possession of this important post, receiving at the same time a plan of the fort, and a list of the warlike and other pg 043stores. The French commandant and the troops forming the garrison were placed under the charge of Lieutenant Holmes, with thirty Rangers, to be conducted to Philadelphia. Twenty men were also sent to escort the French soldiers from the posts of Miami and Gatanois, and the command of the fort was given to Captain Campbell. Rogers, having made a treaty with the neighboring Indians, set out with a party to Lake Huron for the purpose of taking possession of Michilimackinac; but the ice in the lake so obstructed his passage that he could not proceed by water, and the Indians told him that it would be impossible for him to reach that place by land without snow-shoes. Accordingly, having replaced the ammunition and stores which he had taken with him at Detroit, he left that post on the 21st of November, 1760, after intrusting to Captain Campbell its command. With the change of jurisdiction thus effected, a new scene will now open upon us.

CONDITION OF THE COUNTRY UNDER THE ENGLISH.

No material change took place in the condition of the country in consequence of its surrender to the English. The capitulation of Montreal permitted the French emigrants to remain in the territory and to enjoy undisturbed their civil and religious rights. Agriculture was no more encouraged than before, and the same general plan continued to be pursued in conducting the fur-trade. No land was allowed to be purchased directly of the Indians, nor were the English commandants, styled governors, permitted to make any grants of land except within certain prescribed limits. The settlements of the French, however, continued to extend, and their long, narrow farms, surrounded by pickets and fronted by houses of bark or logs and their roofs thatched with straw, were seen stretching along the banks of all the principal streams. There were as yet no schools, and the instruction of the children continued to be confided entirely to the Catholic priests. Before that time peltries had constituted almost the only medium of traffic, but now English coin began to be introduced. Horses were for a long time unknown at Detroit, the first having been brought there, it is said, from Fort Duquesne after Braddock’s defeat.

Although the English had acquired possession of the country, it had been against the will of the Indians. The design of Pontiac probably was to lead the English into his territory only that he might have a better opportunity to destroy them. He believed that it was their intention to drive him from his lands, and he therefore considered them as dangerous intruders. His spacious domain, its waters abounding with fish and its woods with game, had now fallen into the hands of a people whom he had always looked upon as his enemy. Some of the Indians had been struck by the British officers in the garrison, an indignity which their savage natures could not endure, and they readily joined with their chief to expel these hated strangers from their country.

Pontiac was not long in circulating war-belts among all the principal tribes on the borders of the lakes, and he formed a chain of operations extending more than a thousand miles along their waters. He flattered himself that if the British garrisons could be destroyed or driven away he should afterward be able effectually to defend the country against farther intrusion by means of his own strength combined with that of his savage allies. A grand council of the Indians was accordingly soon assembled at the River Aux Ecorce, and Pontiac addressed them in person. He told them that it was the design of the English to drive the Indians from their country, and that they were their natural and inveterate enemies. He also assured them pg 044that the Great Spirit had appeared to a Delaware Indian in a dream and thus addressed him: “Why do you suffer these dogs in red clothing” (the English) “to enter your country and take the land I gave you? Drive them from it: and then, when you are in distress, I will help you.” He also exhibited to them a war-belt, which he said the French King had sent over from France, ordering them to drive out the British and make way for the return of the French.

The shores of the lakes were soon alive with bodies of Indian warriors, who had abandoned their hunting-grounds and camps and were repairing to the posts on the frontier. Among these were seen the Ottawas, the Chippewas, the Miamis, the Pottowatomies, the Missisagas, the Shawanese, the Ottagamies, and the Winnebagoes, besides parties from numerous other tribes. At about the same time they attacked the Forts of Le Bœuf, Venango, Presque Isle, Michilimackinac, St. Joseph, Miami, Green Bay, Ouiatonon, Pittsburg, and Sandusky. Their military operations, indeed, extended along the entire line of the waters of the lower lakes.

This general and simultaneous attack was made in the month of May, 1763, and was so sudden and wholly unexpected that the garrisons were all taken by surprise. Detroit was then the most important station upon the lakes, and was garrisoned by one hundred and twenty-two men and eight officers, Major Gladwin being the commandant. Three rows of pickets surrounded the fort in the form of a square. Most of the houses of the French were situated within these pickets, that they might be protected by the guns of the fort. The inhabitants were provided with arms and ammunition. Within the pickets there was also a circular space, which was named by the French Le chemin du Ronde, from its being a place of deposit for arms; and over the gates of the fort, and at each of its corners, there were small dwellings. The town was defended in front by an armed schooner named the Beaver, moored in the river, which at this point is about three-quarters of a mile wide. The post commanded the great channel of communication from Lake Michigan to Buffalo and Pittsburg; its possession, therefore, was an object of great importance; and Pontiac, who was the chief director of the confederacy, undertook its reduction in person.

His plan was one which strikingly exhibits the cunning which is so characteristic of the Indians. He intended to take the fort by surprise; and for this purpose he ordered a party of his warriors to saw off their rifles so short that they could conceal them under their blankets, and, under a feigned pretence, to gain admission into the fort, and massacre the garrison. To carry out his design, he encamped at a short distance from the post, and sent word to the commandant that he was desirous of holding a council with him, that “they might brighten the chain of peace.” On the evening of that day, an Indian woman, by the name of Catharine, brought to Major Gladwin a pair of moccasins which she had been employed to make for him, and he was so much pleased with them that he gave her an elkskin, and told her to take it home and make from it several pairs more. She took the skin, but continued to linger about the gate of the fort as if her business were unfinished; and the singularity of her conduct attracted attention. Major Gladwin accordingly ordered her to be called back, and inquired of her why she did not hasten home, that she might finish the moccasins by the time he had required them to be done. The woman remarked that she did not like to take the skin away, as he seemed to prize it so much, since she feared “she could never bring it back.” Her mind seemed to be struggling with some secret, and, after being pressed, pg 045she developed the whole plot. Major Gladwin immediately ordered the guards to be doubled, and sentinels to be stationed on the ramparts.

As night approached, fires were seen in the Indian camp, and their war-songs were distinctly heard, so that the English commandant was convinced that something important was contemplated by them, and that the woman had told the truth, as the savages always excite themselves in this manner preparatory to any great enterprise they are about to undertake.

The next morning, according to previous arrangement, Pontiac and his warriors repaired to the fort. As he was advancing, he noticed that there was an unusual number of soldiers upon the ramparts, and that the officers all had pistols in their belts. Having entered the council-house, or the place assigned for the meeting, he opened the discussion with a speech, in which he made great professions of friendship for the English. As the time approached when, as the woman had stated, the belt was to be delivered and a fire upon the garrison commenced, his gestures became more vehement. At this moment the governor and his officers drew their swords, and the English soldiers made a clattering upon the ground with their muskets. Pontiac himself was now the party surprised, but he continued perfectly calm and unmoved.

The commandant soon commenced his reply, but, instead of thanking the chief for his professions of friendship, he charged him with being a traitor, and, to convince him of his knowledge of the plot, he stepped forward to the Indian who sat on his skin nearest to him, and, opening his blanket, exposed the shortened rifle. At the same time, addressing himself to the warriors, he told them instantly to leave the fort, as his men, should they discover their treachery, would show them no mercy. He also assured them that they would be permitted to go out in safety, as he had promised them his protection.

The warriors accordingly sallied out of the fort; but, as soon as they had passed the gates, they turned about and fired upon the garrison. They then proceeded to the commons, where they murdered an English woman who resided there, and, horrid to relate, cooked and feasted upon her remains. After this they went to Isle de Cochon, (Hog Island,) and barbarously destroyed a whole family.

The savages had now sufficiently evinced their hostile intentions. Collecting around the fort, they fired upon the garrison from the nearest houses, and even from behind the pickets. Measures were soon taken, however, to burn such buildings as they could avail themselves of for this purpose, by throwing shells. But, as soon as the shells fell, the savages ran up to them, with loud yells, and extinguished the matches before they had time to explode. Still, in spite of all their efforts to prevent it, the buildings were soon demolished, and the Indians then withdrew to a low ridge which overlooked the pickets, and from this they kept up a constant fire upon the fort.

Although Pontiac, as the acknowledged head of the confederacy, was the leader in the attack upon Detroit, he was aided by several chiefs, who had placed themselves under his direction. Among these were the Ottawa chiefs Mahigam, or the Wolf, Wabunemay, or the White Sturgeon, Kittacomsi, and Agouchiois; and the Chippewa chiefs Pashquois, Gayashque, Wasson, and Macatay-wasson.

The influence of Pontiac had for a long time been very great, not only with the French, but also with the remotest tribes upon the borders of the lakes. In 1746 he defended Detroit against a combined force under Mackinac, the Turtle, aided by a portion of his own tribe, the Ottawas. While he was thus assisting the French, they were no less warm in their attachment pg 046to their allies. “When the French arrived at these falls” (the Saute de Ste. Marie), said a Chippewa chief, “they came and kissed us. They called us children, and we found them fathers. We lived like brethren in the same lodge. They never mocked our ceremonies; they never molested the places of our dead. Seven generations have passed away, but we have not forgotten it. Just, very just, were they towards us.”

The siege of Detroit by Pontiac continued. Sometimes blazing arrows were launched from the bows of his warriors upon the chapel for the purpose of burning it; and this they would have effected had they not been deterred from farther attempts by a Jesuit, who persuaded them that such an act would call down the vengeance of the Great Spirit. A breach was now attempted to be made in the pickets, and in this Major Gladwin co-operated with them, by ordering his men to cut them away from the inside, so that it was soon accomplished; but no sooner was it filled with the Indians than a small brass cannon, which had been brought to bear upon this point, was discharged upon them, and made terrible havoc. After this the fort was simply blockaded and its supplies cut off, by which means great suffering was occasioned to the garrison. Among the killed on the side of the English was Sir Robert Devers, whose body was boiled and eaten by the savages. Captain Robertson experienced a similar fate, and of the skin of one of his arms a tobacco-pouch was made.

Major Campbell, it will be recollected, had been appointed to the command of the fort by Major Rogers, and it was a great point with the savages to get possession of the person of this officer, as he was much esteemed, not only by the French and English, but by the Indians also, for his chivalrous character, and, therefore, the more valuable as a hostage. Pontiac accordingly solicited an interview with this officer, that, as he stated, “they might smoke the pipe of peace together.” Two French citizens recommended this interview, and were, in fact, made the agents of Pontiac to effect it. The Indian chief, in the meantime, solemnly promised that the English commandant should be permitted to return in safety to the fort. The proposal was acceded to; but no sooner had Pontiac got his enemy into his hands, than his promise was entirely forgotten, and he told him that his life even should not be spared but on the condition that the fort was surrendered. The conduct of Pontiac in this transaction had been such as to destroy all confidence in his word. The fate of this brave and generous officer was truly melancholy. An Ottawa chief had been killed in the siege of Michilimackinac, and his nephew hastened to Detroit to seek for revenge. Here meeting with Major Campbell, he instantly killed him with a blow of his tomahawk. The murderer fled to Saginaw to escape the vengeance of Pontiac.

The Beaver, the armed vessel to which allusion has been made, had been sent to Niagara for the purpose of hastening the arrival of a re-enforcement of men, and to procure a supply of provisions. Lieutenant Cuyler, with ninety-seven men, was sent from that post with supplies, and, apprehending no danger, they had landed at Point Pelee and encamped. Here they were discovered by the Indians, and at dawn the next morning they were attacked, and the whole party either cut off or taken prisoners, with the exception of one officer and thirty men, who succeeded in gaining a barge, in which they crossed Lake Erie and reached Sandusky Bay. The savages placed their prisoners on board the boats, and compelled them to manage them, escorting them in triumph to Detroit, along the Canadian bank of the river. When they were near this place, four British soldiers determined to make their escape, and for this purpose changed the course of the boat they pg 047were in, setting up at the same time a loud cry. After some resistance their Indian guards leaped overboard, one of them dragging a soldier along with him, and they both were drowned. The remaining three were now fired on by the Indians in the other boats, and also by those on the bank of the river, though without any other effect than wounding one of their number. In the meantime the armed schooner on the Detroit side opened a fire upon the savages, which dispersed their boats, and likewise the guard upon the opposite shore. The rest of the prisoners were taken by the Indians to Hog Island, and there put to death.

The French residents themselves did not escape wholly unharmed amid these scenes of savage violence. Maintaining a neutral position in the war, they were regarded with no little jealousy by their former allies of the Algonquin race. Their houses were in several instances broken open, and their cattle plundered by Pontiac’s warriors, though the Ottawa chiefs gave to the sufferers certificates of indemnity for all such losses, formed of pieces of bark, on which was drawn the figure of an otter, the emblem of his tribe, and these pledges were all faithfully redeemed at a subsequent period.

The savages, finding that all their attempts to destroy the fort were unavailing, endeavored to engage the French in the alliance; and for this purpose Pontiac assembled a council of his warriors and of the French inhabitants at the river Aux Ecorce, on which occasion he addressed to them the following speech:

“My Brothers:—I have no doubt that this war is very troublesome to you, and that my warriors, who are continually passing and repassing through your settlements, frequently kill your cattle and injure your property. I am sorry for it, and hope you do not think I am pleased with this conduct of my young men; and, as a proof of my friendship, remember the war you had seventeen years ago, (1746,) and the part I took in it. The Northern nations combined together and came to destroy you. Who defended you? Was it not myself and my young men? The great chief Mackinac (the Turtle) said in council that he would carry to his native village the head of your chief warrior, and that he would eat his heart and drink his blood. Did I not then join you, and go to his camp and say to him, that if he wished to kill the French, he must pass over my body and the bodies of my young men? Did I not take up the tomahawk with you? aid in fighting your battles with Mackinac, and in driving him home to his country? Why do you think I would turn my arms against you? Am I not the same French Pontiac who assisted you seventeen years ago? I am a Frenchman, and I wish to die a Frenchman.

“My brothers,” continued Pontiac, throwing a war-belt into the midst of the council, “I begin to grow tired of this bad meat which is upon our lands, but I see that this is not your case; for, instead of assisting us in our war with the English, you are actually assisting them. I have already told you, and I now tell you again, that when I undertook this war, it was only your interest I sought, and that I knew what I was about. I yet know what I am about. This year they must all perish; the Master of Life so orders it. His will is known to us, and we must do as He says. And you, my brothers, who know Him better than we do, wish to oppose His will. Until now I have avoided urging you upon this subject, in the hope that, if you could not aid, you would not injure us. I did not wish to ask you to fight with us against the English, and I did not believe that you would take part with them. You will say you are not with them. I know it; but your conduct amounts to the same thing. You tell them all pg 048we do, and you carry our counsels and plans to them. Now, take your choice. You must be entirely French, like ourselves, or entirely English. If you are French, take this belt for yourselves and for your young men, and join us. If you are English, we declare war against you.”

Previous to this, and on the third of June, 1763, news had been received of the conclusion of peace between France and England; and one of the French inhabitants, holding up a copy of the treaty in answer to this harangue, replied: “My brother, you see that our arms are tied by our great father, the King of France; untie this knot, and we will join you; but, till that is done, we shall sit quietly on our mats.”

The vessel which had been despatched to Niagara now returned with a supply of provisions and arms. To prevent her reaching the fort, a great number of Indians had left the siege and repaired to Fighting Island, a short distance below. After annoying her from their canoes at the mouth of the river, they at length resolved to get possession of her by boarding, and were approaching her with all their force for that purpose, when she opened upon them a destructive fire, which wounded and killed a large number, and put the rest to flight. She then dropped down the river to wait for a fair wind, and a few days afterward reached Detroit without farther molestation.

Pontiac now endeavored to destroy the vessels which were anchored opposite to the fort, as they greatly aided in its defence. He, for this purpose, demolished the barns of several of the French settlers, and from the materials, which were of a resinous nature and perfectly dry, he constructed rafts, and, setting them on fire, committed them to the current of the river, which is here quite rapid, in the expectation that they would float down against them and burn them. The English, however, perceiving his object, anchored small boats above the vessels, fastened to each other with iron chains, to intercept and turn away these dangerous masses, in which they were perfectly successful, and the blazing rafts passed harmlessly by.

It was not long, however, before efficient aid was received by the English garrison. A fleet of gunboats made its appearance, strongly armed, and having on board a detachment of three hundred regular troops, under the command of Captain Dalyell, one of the aids of Sir Jeffry Amherst. Supposing that Pontiac might be surprised in his camp, they landed a force of two hundred and forty-seven men, and marched up the river with that object. But this chief, apprised of their intentions, had removed his women and children, and prepared for a vigorous defence. A party of his warriors were concealed behind the pickets of the neighboring farms, others lay hid in the long prairie grass, which grew here to a great height, and others again were concealed behind heaps of wood. The British force had no sooner reached the point now called Bloody Bridge, than they received a destructive fire from the rifles of the savages. For a moment their columns wavered, as their commander, Captain Dalyell, had fallen at the first discharge; but, soon rallying, they fought with great bravery, and charged upon the enemy with the bayonet. The Indians, however, without being seen, continued to pour forth a destructive fire upon the English, and could only be dislodged from their places of concealment by driving them from house to house, and from field to field. Perceiving that their numbers were diminishing, and that they were fighting under great disadvantages, the English now commenced a retreat to the fort, protected by the armed gunboats, after a loss of nineteen men killed and forty-two wounded.

While these scenes were passing at Detroit, events of a still more tragical character were taking place on the upper lakes. Michilimackinac, which is distant nearly four hundred miles from Detroit, has been already described. pg 049This fort was surrounded with pickets of cedar, and its stockade was washed by the waves of the strait. At that time the fort was protected by several pieces of brass cannon, taken from the trading-posts of Hudson’s Bay. There was a chapel in which mass was regularly performed by a Jesuit missionary. At this post there were about thirty families, and it was garrisoned by ninety-three men. The savages here were still more inveterate in their hostility to the English than at Detroit. Alexander Henry, the English trader, had been obliged to wear the garb of a coureur des bois on his way to that post, where there were then but four English merchants residing. The hostile disposition of the savages was, indeed, clearly manifested on his first arrival. He had been there but a very short time when he was visited by a body of Chippewas, painted and dressed in the most warlike style, with feathers thrust through their noses. Their chief, Minavavana, thus addressed him:

“Englishman, it is to you that I speak, and I demand your attention.

“Englishman, you know that the French King is our father; he promised to be such, and we, in return, promised to be his children: this promise we have kept.

“Englishman, it is you that have made war with this our father. You are his enemy, and how then could you have the boldness to venture among us, his children? You know that his enemies are ours.

“Englishman, we are informed that our father, the King of France, is old and infirm, and that, being fatigued with making war upon your nation, he has fallen asleep. During this sleep you have taken advantage of him, and possessed yourselves of Canada. But his nap is almost at an end: I think I hear him already stirring, and inquiring for his children, the Indians; and when he does awake, what must become of you? He will destroy you utterly.

“Englishman, although you have conquered the French, you have not yet conquered us. We are not your slaves. These lakes, these woods and mountains, are left to us by our ancestors; they are our inheritance, and we will part with them to none. Your nation supposes that we, like the white people, cannot live without bread, and pork, and beef, but you ought to know that He, the Great Spirit and Master of Life, has provided food for us in these spacious lakes, and on these wooded mountains.

“Englishman, our father, the King of France, employed our young men to make war upon your nation. In this war many of them have been killed, and it is our custom to retaliate until such time as the spirits of the slain are satisfied. But the spirits of the slain are only to be satisfied in one of two ways: the first is by spilling the blood of the nation by which they fell; the other, by covering the bodies of the dead, and thus allaying the resentment of their relations. This is done by making presents.

“Englishman, your King has never sent us any presents, nor entered into any treaty with us, wherefore he and we are still at war; and, while he does these things, we must consider that we have no other father or friend among the white people than the King of France. But for you, we have taken into consideration that you have ventured among us in the expectation that we should not molest you. You do not come armed with an intention to make war. You come in peace to trade with us, and supply us with necessaries of which we are much in want. We shall regard you, therefore, as a brother, and you may sleep tranquilly, without fear of the Chippewas. As a token of our friendship, we present you this pipe to smoke.”

But, although no attack was made upon him, it was perceived that the spirit of the savages was anything but friendly. He was afterward visited by a chief who was at the head of a party of Ottawa warriors, who also pg 050made him a speech, and compelled him to deliver a part of his goods to the Indians on a credit.

Thus affairs were here speedily coming to a crisis. The warriors in the wilderness around this post had also received from Pontiac the war-belt, and were now busy in collecting their bands for the purpose of joining his confederacy, the object of which was to blot out the English power from the territory bordering on the lakes. No serious suspicions were awakened at Michilimackinac, although large bodies of Indians had been noticed collecting around the post, some of them apparently for the purpose of purchasing European merchandise, trinkets, and silver ornaments which Henry had for sale, but for the most part without any apparent object.

On the seventh of June, Wawatam, a Chippewa chief, called on this trader, who had recently come from the Saute de Ste. Marie, telling him that he was sorry that he had left the Saute, and requesting that he would go back with him to that post the following day. He also desired to know if Major Etherington had not received some bad news; for, said he, “I have been disturbed with the noise of evil birds.” The following day he repeated his request, and urged his suspicions anew. The trader conceived it to be his duty to inform Major Etherington of what had taken place: but, unfortunately, this officer paid no attention to it, considering it as mere idle apprehension.

The number of savages having greatly increased, it was proposed the next day to celebrate the anniversary of the King’s birth by a game which is called Baggatiway. This is a common game among the Indians, and is played with bats and ball. A ball is placed in the centre of an open piece of ground: the players divide themselves into two parties, and a struggle then takes place between them to knock the ball to the post of the opposite party. It had been agreed among the savages to throw the ball, as if by accident, over the pickets; and, when this had been done, to rush after it, possess themselves of the fort, and massacre the garrison.

The game was accordingly commenced, and Major Etherington, who was present as a spectator, laid a wager on the success of the Chippewas, the greater part of the garrison being at the same time collected outside the fort to witness the sport. Suddenly the ball, according to their previous understanding, was thrown over the pickets, and, as appeared very natural, the Indians all rushed after it. But almost instantly the war-cry of the savages rose from the interior of the fort, and a dreadful scene commenced. The trader, who had been prevented from being present at the game, hearing the tumult without, and finding the savages, about four hundred in number, in possession of the post, crawled over a low fence which separated his house from that of M. Langlade, a French Canadian, and entreated him to afford him some place of concealment. But Langlade, shrugging up his shoulders, hastily turned away from the window where he had been looking out, coolly saying that he knew of no such place. At this moment a Pawnee slave belonging to Langlade beckoned to Henry to come to a door which she pointed out to him, conducted him to the garret of the house, and, having concealed him there, locked the door and took away the key.

Henry gazed through the crevices of the wall upon the scene below, and it was a scene of horror. A great number of the English soldiers lay dead around the fort; some were seen struggling between the knees of the savages, who were scalping them while yet alive. Others were cut in pieces, and their blood was drank by the warriors from the hollows of their hands joined together, while they were shrieking most hideously, like so many demons. At length there was a profound silence, an awful suspense, pg 051which denoted that, for want of more victims, the work of death was done.

The Indians now gathered about the house of Langlade, and asked him if any of the English had taken shelter there. Langlade replied that none had to his knowledge, but that they might examine for themselves. Two or three of the savages coming to the garret door, demanded the key, and, unlocking it, went in.

By this time Henry had concealed himself behind a heap of birch-bark vessels which were used in the making of maple-sugar, where the dark color of his clothes, aided by the absence of light in the room, prevented him from being seen, so that the Indians, satisfying themselves that there was no one there, soon went away. There was a mat in the room, and Henry, laying himself down on it, soon fell asleep. It was not long, however, before he was awakened by the wife of Langlade, who informed him that most of the English had been despatched, but that he might hope to escape. The shades of night now came on, and the trader sought again in slumber to forget the horrors of the scene.

He was not, however, so easily to escape. Langlade’s wife, notwithstanding the encouragement she had held out to him, determined to make known his place of concealment, saying that the Indians would murder her if the trader was found secreted in her house. Accordingly, she took the key and gave it to Wenniway, a chief of the most hideous appearance. This warrior was more than six feet in height, and his naked body was painted all over with a mixture of grease and charcoal, as was his face, with the exception of a circular ring around each of his eyes. Accompanied by a body of savages, he entered the garret, and approaching the trembling trader, grasped him by the collar, and fixing his eyes steadfastly upon him, raised his knife, as if about to plunge it into his breast; but, suddenly checking himself, he dropped the fatal weapon and said, “I won’t kill you. I have lost a brother, whose name is Musinigon. You shall be called after him.”

But the sufferings of the trader were not yet at an end. He was stripped of his clothes and carried to L’Arbre a Croche as a prisoner. Here, however, his friend Wawatam, faithful to his promise of protection, appeared in his behalf, ransomed him, and accompanied the trader to the island of Mackinaw, where he concealed him from a band of drunken savages in what is now called the Scull Rock.

The fort of Michilimackinac was now burned to the ground. Seventy of the English soldiers had been massacred, and, to complete the sanguinary deed, the bodies of many of them were boiled and eaten by the savages. The lives of the remainder, as well as of the prisoners taken at St. Joseph and Green Bay, were spared, and on the return of peace they were all released, either with or without ransom. At the close of these tragical events a number of Indian canoes arrived with English traders, who were beaten, insulted, and marched to the prison lodge.

After the work of devastation had been finished, many of the Indians retired to the island of Mackinaw, while others repaired to Detroit, to aid Pontiac in the siege of this post. This chief, however, soon found that his enemies were too formidable for him. General Bradstreet now arrived to relieve the fort, at the head of an army of three thousand men. On his way he had destroyed the villages of the hostile savages, laid waste their corn-fields along the rich bottoms of the Maumee, dispersed the natives in every direction, and reached Detroit without opposition. The Indians, perceiving that they could no longer contend against so powerful pg 052a foe, laid down their arms, and thus the war was brought to a close. Of Pontiac, after his discomfiture, but little is certainly known. Disappointed and mortified at the failure of his plans, he retired to Illinois, where he was assassinated about the year 1767 by an Indian of the Peoria tribe. The character of this chief was bold and strongly marked. Excelled by none of his race in courage, strength, and energy, he possessed traits which pointed him out for a leader. To have had sufficient influence to bring the numerous tribes of the West, along a frontier of a thousand miles, to co-operate with him in his desperate undertaking, must have required much more than ordinary talents. Although destitute of those principles of honor which prevail among civilized nations in the operations of war, he possessed a larger share of humanity than is commonly found among savages. Undismayed by difficulties, and far-seeing and comprehensive in his plans, he fought from a sense of justice and in defence of the rich domain which had been bequeathed to him by his ancestors.

THE FUR-TRADE AND AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE.

From the year 1679, when La Salle and Hennepin crossed Lake Erie with the first vessel that had ever disturbed the waters of that lake, the face of the country had been, down to the time of the English occupation, but little changed. During the period of the French power in this quarter, the fur-trade had been vigorously carried on along the great chain of lakes, and through every channel in which it could be made to circulate, either by companies chartered for that object, or by individual enterprise. The coureurs des bois, who acted, says La Honton, “like East Indiamen and pirates,” returning periodically from their inland voyages to swell the population at the different posts, brought with them in bark canoes the furs and peltry which they had collected, and deposited them at the factories erected to receive them; from thence they were at regular seasons transported to the headquarters of the trade at Montreal and Quebec, where they were shipped for Europe.

The principal channels through which this traffic was carried on between the upper and lower provinces continued to be the Ottawa river or Lake Erie, the packs, when the latter course was adopted, being transported across the portage of Niagara Falls upon the backs of the traders.

The condition of this trade under the French, although depending much on the peculiar character of the people, was essentially modified by the positive operation of the laws. The government of the colony was, it is true, exercised with apparent mildness, but still it was impressed with those harsh principles which characterized the most aristocratic period of the Bourbons. Even the form of land distribution, founded on the Coutume de Paris, was extended to the French colonies of the West. Its operation was exceedingly oppressive, and greatly retarded the growth of the settlement. It confined the energies of the people to narrow tracts of land, granted under burdensome conditions, placing them in the power of seigneurs, which was but another name for masters, instead of opening the broad and fertile bosom of the West to free and unencumbered industry, such as is now effecting such extraordinary changes in that region under the equal laws of our own Republic. The people under this system were but the mere appendages of large corporations, parts of a vast machine which was planned and kept in motion solely for the benefit of royal monopolies.

It has been remarked that the aspect of things in these remote regions was but little changed after they came into the possession of the English. pg 053The chapels and the forts continued in much the same state; the little farms of the French, surrounded by pickets, stretched along the banks of the streams as before; and the country presented a variegated aspect of French, English, and Indian manners. The red coats of the British regulars contrasted very strikingly with the peasant garb of the French farmers, and with the wild and fantastic dress of the natives.

The insurrection being quelled, a system of conciliatory measures was adopted to secure the good-will of the disaffected tribes; small grants of land were made around the posts, and the Indians themselves were induced to cede portions of their territory for a trifling consideration to the French colonists. These grants were made, however, without any authority from the British Government. The French settlements extended along the banks of the Detroit and St. Clair rivers to the distance of about twenty miles above and below the town, with here and there a lonely hut of some French trader at a favorable point in the interior. Detroit continued to be the most prominent post, and three years after the Pontiac war the town contained not less than a hundred houses, independent of the barracks. On the west side of the town lay the commons, which received the name of the King’s Garden. The fort was surrounded by pickets and mounted with small cannon, was garrisoned by two hundred men, and the commandant exercised a sort of arbitrary power under the general supervision of the governor-general of Canada.

Meanwhile the Hudson’s Bay Company, which had been long a rival of the old French companies, extended its operations through the wilderness which had been the ranging ground of the French traders. This company had been chartered in 1669 by Charles II. That charter, granted to a company of English merchants, authorized them to occupy a very extensive region north of Canada for the prosecution of the fur-trade, to establish military posts for the defence of their persons and property, and to traffic with the native tribes.

From 1763 to the close of the three following years, the trade from Montreal with the interior had been greatly diminished, the Indians carrying on most of their traffic with the agents of the Hudson’s Bay Company. In 1766 individual adventurers began to extend their operations along the lake shores in the same track that had formerly been pursued by the French, and soon came in collision with the large companies which were striving to occupy for their exclusive benefit this extensive region. Thus the course of the trade continued to present the same wild features which had characterized it under the former regime.

The English made but little change either in the laws or in their administration, and pursued the same general policy as had their predecessors the French. The commandants of the posts, although responsible to the governor-general at Quebec, were still possessed of a discretionary power which was all but absolute, and which they exercised in a highly arbitrary manner, as perhaps was necessary among such a population as they had to deal with. Whenever any crime was committed, however, which required a formal trial, it was customary for these officers to summon a jury of the most respectable inhabitants, and to abide by their decision.

A semblance of the criminal laws of England was, it is true, introduced, but these laws were administered without any regard to fixed principles or to established rules. A single example will suffice to show the manner in which legal proceedings were conducted in 1776.

Governor Hamilton, at that time the commanding officer at Detroit, being informed of a theft committed by a Canadian Frenchman, directed pg 054Philip Dejean and twelve jurors to hear and adjudge the case: they accordingly proceeded to the trial, and convicted the individual of the crime alleged against him. The record of this trial has come down to us, and it is a most singular document. Lord Dorchester, however, then governor of Canada, was no sooner made acquainted with the proceedings in this case, so contrary to every principle of law, than he issued a warrant for the arrest of Hamilton and Dejean, though, unfortunately, they had both previously left the country.

In 1774 an act was passed, called the Quebec Act, establishing the boundaries of Canada, including Michigan, and extending thence to the Mississippi and Ohio rivers on the south, and north from the St. Lawrence to the latitude of 52°, or to the lands of the Hudson’s Bay Company. This act granted to the Catholic inhabitants the free exercise of their religion, the undisturbed possession of their Church property, and the right in all matters of litigation to demand a trial according to the former laws of the province. But this right was not extended to the settlers on lands granted by the English crown. The criminal laws of England were introduced into Canada, and the crown reserved to itself the right of establishing courts of civil, criminal, and ecclesiastical jurisdiction.

The enterprise of the people was not wholly confined to the fur-trade. The mineral region upon the shores of Lake Superior had been visited as early as 1773; a project was formed for working the copper ore discovered there, and a company in England had obtained a charter for that object. This company consisted of the Duke of Gloucester, Mr. Secretary Townshend, Sir Samuel Tutchet, Bart., Mr. Baxter, consul of the Empress of Russia, Mr. Cruikshank, Sir William Johnston, Bart., Mr. Bostwick, and Alexander Henry, the English fur-trader who figured so conspicuously in the fall of Michilimackinac. A sloop was accordingly purchased, and the miners commenced their operations. They soon found, however, that the expenses of blasting and of transportation were too great to warrant the prosecution of the enterprise, and it was abandoned. Previous to this, a company of English adventurers had embarked in the same project, but they also gave it up on account, as they said, “of the distracted state of affairs in America.”

In 1783 several influential merchants, who had been individually engaged in the fur-trade, entered into partnership for its more vigorous prosecution, though without any charter, and established what was styled the Northwest Company. The stock of this company was divided into sixteen shares. No money was paid in, but each of the partners engaged to furnish his proportion of the goods necessary to carry on the trade.

In 1787 the shareholders appointed from their number special agents to import from England such goods as might be required, and to store them at Montreal. The plan they adopted for conducting the trade was similar to that which had been pursued by the French. The European goods were, by the orders of the agents, made into such articles as were wanted by the traders and Indians, and packed up and forwarded, and the money for the outfits was also supplied by them.

Storehouses were erected in convenient and accessible situations on the borders of the lakes, and the posts formerly occupied by the French were employed for the same purpose. Connected with these there were also trading-houses and places where the various persons employed in carrying on the trade might be accommodated. Agents were sent to Detroit, Mackinaw, the Saute de Ste. Marie, and the Grand Portage near Lake Superior, where the furs were deposited when brought from the interior, and whose pg 055business it was to have them packed and sent to Montreal for shipment to England.

The most important point of the fur-trade was the Grand Portage of Lake Superior, situated in a remote region to the northwest, where the greatest quantity of furs could be collected. Here the proprietors of the establishment, the guides, clerks, and interpreters, messed together in a large hall hung round with elk-horns, ornamented pipes, hatchets, and other implements used by the Indians in war and peace, while the canoemen, or coureurs des bois, were allowed nothing but a dish which they called “hommony,” consisting of Indian corn boiled in a strong alkali and seasoned with fat.

The persons employed in this traffic were a motley and very peculiar race. Besides the clerks, interpreters, and guides, there was a numerous body, half Indian and half French, which had been constantly increasing in this quarter from the frequent intermarriages between the traders and the native women. The canoes employed by them were of large size, each one being capable of containing ten men and about sixty-five packages of furs.

The European goods purchased for this traffic consisted of blankets, cutlery, glass beads, and other trinkets, besides different articles that were obtained at Montreal.

These goods were ordered from England the season before they were wanted, shipped from London the following spring, and arrived in Canada early in the summer. Here they were made up into packages of a convenient size, weighing each about ninety pounds, sent to the interior the next spring, exchanged for furs during the succeeding winter, and the following autumn these furs were received at Montreal and shipped for London.

Thus this interesting trade, which had been carried on for more than a century, still continued to circulate in its ordinary channels along the waters of the lakes. But the spirit of mercantile rivalry was carried to a great extent, and, unhappily, excited all the worst passions in the human breast. The Hudson’s Bay and Northwest Companies, the respective boundaries of which were not very clearly defined, came into active and desperate collision, and made repeated attacks upon the trading-posts of each other. Lord Selkirk, however, having placed himself at the head of the Hudson’s Bay Company, succeeded at length in uniting the stock of the two companies, and thus put an end to the strife. These two companies held dominion over the territory bordering on the lakes, and studied only to keep it a barren, howling waste, that they might the better fill their own coffers.

The American Revolution was now about to break forth. The people of the English colonies at the East had declared that they would not submit to be taxed by the mother-country unless they were represented in the British Parliament. A duty having been imposed upon tea, a vessel lying in Boston harbor with a quantity of it on board had been taken possession of by a party of the inhabitants, and the obnoxious article was thrown into the sea. From this may be dated the commencement of a struggle which, in the desperation with which it was fought and the magnitude of its results, is scarcely paralleled in history.

During this eventful struggle, the wilderness then comprising the territory of the present State of Michigan, with but a small population, consisting principally of British soldiers and persons connected with the fur-trade, from its remote situation was but little affected by the war, though the Indians within its borders were employed to harass the American settlements upon the frontiers of New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

Detroit and Michilimackinac were, during this period, the points of pg 056greatest interest. At these posts the Indian warriors were assembled and furnished with arms and ammunition, and from thence they were despatched against the nearest American settlements, to pillage, burn, and destroy, and to massacre and scalp the defenceless inhabitants. On their return from their murderous expeditions, these savage allies were met by the British commanders in the council-houses of Mackinaw and Detroit, and there received the stipulated price for the scalps which they brought.

It is not to be wondered at that the European inhabitants of Michigan and Canada should have been opposed to the doctrines of the American Revolution. The French population had been accustomed to a despotic government, and from habit were little inclined to any other; while the English colonists were mere adventurers, and had come to the country for no other reason than to benefit their fortunes by its trade. They were, therefore, actuated by a totally different spirit from that which animated the inhabitants of the original English colonies, who were fixed in their habits, and who had fled from the persecutions of the people of England, that they might enjoy, undisturbed, the right of self-government in matters of religion.

Not only were parties of Indians sent out against the American settlements, but in some instances they were supported by the regular troops and the local militia. One of these joint expeditions, commanded by Captain Byrd, set out from Detroit to attack Louisville. It proceeded in boats as far as it could ascend the Maumee river, and from thence crossed over to the Ohio; but the high water here preventing them from reaching the place for which they started, they marched to what is called Ruddle’s Station. The formidable force which they presented intimidated the garrison at this post, and it immediately surrendered, under the promise of being protected from the Indians. This promise, however, was violated, and the prisoners were all massacred. A small stockade, called Martin’s Station, was likewise taken by the same commander, and his advance threw the whole region into the utmost consternation, when he suddenly withdrew.

Another expedition started from Detroit under the command of Henry Hamilton, the commandant of the post. At that time the feeble settlements in what now comprises Kentucky were much exposed to the hostile inroads of the savages, and General Clarke, an officer of great bravery and experience, had been sent by the Governor of Virginia for their defence. Supposing that he could better accomplish his object by reducing Kaskaskia, Kahokia, and other small French settlements in this region, which were believed to be friendly to the British cause, he descended the river and took possession of them.

Governor Hamilton was no sooner informed of these proceedings than he collected a force of regulars, militia, and Indians and proceeded to St. Vincent, where he halted to make arrangements for active operations as soon as the season would permit. His design was to recover the posts which had been captured by General Clarke, to attack and defeat the force under his command, and destroy the infant settlements of the Americans in this region.

General Clarke was soon advised of the movements of Hamilton. A Spanish merchant informed him that this officer was extremely careless in his operations, and that he had sent a part of his force to the Ohio river to destroy the settlements along its banks. The American general accordingly despatched an armed boat to the Wabash, with orders to her commander not to permit anything to pass that river, while he himself set out pg 057with one hundred and thirty men for the same point, although in the depth of winter. Sixteen days were occupied in crossing the country, the soldiers sometimes marching up to their breasts in water along the shores of the Wabash, that stream having overflowed its banks. As soon as they arrived at St. Vincent, the soldiers were drawn up in order of battle, and, with the trunk of a tree formed in the shape of a cannon, they boldly advanced to attack the British post. Governor Hamilton, supposing that he was about to be assailed by artillery, immediately surrendered. The British were suffered to return to Detroit; but their commander, who was known to have been active in instigating the Indians to commit the greatest barbarities, was placed in irons and sent to Virginia as a prisoner of war.

Still some of the savages were not well affected to the British cause. As early as 1770 the Delawares had received a message from the Hurons of Detroit, requesting them to “keep their shoes in readiness to unite with their warriors.” Netawatwees, however, the chief of the Delawares, who wished to remain neutral, would not listen to this proposal, but sent to the Huron chief in return several belts of wampum, admonishing him at the same time to keep quiet, and to remember the misery which the Hurons had formerly brought upon themselves by engaging in wars on the side of the French. The reply of the Delawares was delivered in the presence of De Peyster, the English commandant, who cut the belts of wampum in pieces, threw them on the ground, and commanded the messengers who brought them instantly to quit the country.

Certain Moravian missionaries, who were engaged in their peaceful and pious labors on the banks of the Muskingum, did not escape the suspicions of the English in this quarter. These disinterested and charitable men were accused of holding a secret correspondence with the Congress at Philadelphia, and of contributing their influence, as well as that of their Indian congregation, to aid the American cause.

The Indian agent was therefore sent to Niagara, and a grand council of the Iroquois was assembled, at which those tribes were urged to break up the Indian congregation collected by the Moravians. Not wishing, however, to have anything to do with it, they sent a message to the Chippewas and Ottawas, with a belt, stating that they gave the Indian congregation into their hands “to make soup of.”

In 1781 the Moravian missionaries arrived at Detroit, where they were immediately brought before De Peyster, the English commandant. A war council was held at the same time, when the council-house was completely filled, the different tribes being arranged on either side. The assembly was addressed in a long speech by Captain Pipe, the principal chief of the Wolf tribe, who had committed the most savage barbarities upon the scattered American settlements. He told the commandant “that the English might fight the Americans if they chose: it was their cause, and not his; that they had raised a quarrel among themselves, and that it was their business to fight it out. They had set him on the Americans,” he said, “as the hunter sets his dog upon the game.” By the side of the British commander stood a war-chief, with a stick in his hand four feet in length strung with American scalps. “Now, father,” said he, presenting the stick and addressing himself to the commandant, “here is what has been done with the hatchet you gave me. I have made the use of it that you ordered me to do, and found it sharp.”

It was by such influences that these savage tribes were instigated to commit the most atrocious cruelties against the defenceless American settlements on the frontiers during the whole course of the Revolutionary war. pg 058Every avenue was closed whereby a different influence might be introduced among them, and they were made to believe that the Americans were only seeking to possess themselves of their lands, and to drive them away from the territory they had inherited from their forefathers.

But, after the country from Maine to Florida had been drenched with blood in this great contest for freedom, the American cause was at last triumphant; and by the treaty of peace concluded at Versailles in 1783, an end was at last temporarily put to these barbarities; the distant settlers were permitted once more to resume their labors and to sleep without alarm.

ORGANIZATION OF THE NORTHWESTERN TERRITORY.

But, although the war was at an end, the posts and trading stations along the lakes, within the acknowledged limits of the United States, were not given up. Of the real causes which induced the British Government, in violation of all the principles of good faith, to retain these posts, we have no means of judging. It may, however, be fairly inferred from the conduct of individuals, that if that Government did not actually and by direct means promote the Indian war which broke out at this time, it did not, to say the least, discountenance it.

There is ample evidence to show that British emissaries were sent to the remote Indian tribes on the borders of the lakes to instigate them to take up arms, and that, after they had done so, they looked for aid from the English garrisons within the American territory. In the treaty of peace of 1783, there was no express stipulation in regard to the surrender of the northwestern posts; but by the second article of Jay’s treaty, in 1794, it was agreed that the British troops should be withdrawn from all the posts assigned to the United States by the former treaty (of 1783) on or before the first day of June, 1796.

The conduct of England in so long persisting in retaining possession of a country which did not belong to her, we shall not pretend to account for; but the value of this country, from the richness of its soil and its other advantages, soon began to attract attention.

Measures were accordingly taken for its temporary government. The circumstance which had more particularly directed the public attention to this western domain was a memorial from the soldiers and officers of the Revolutionary army, presented to General Washington in 1783, setting forth their claims to a portion of the public lands. Nothing, however, was granted to them at that time.

The country had been completely exhausted by the terrible struggle in which it had been so long engaged, and, heavily burdened with debt, it was now seeking for some means by which it could secure its liquidation; and, as the war had been prosecuted for the general good, it was held that the States claiming lands in this quarter were bound to grant portions of them for this object. The territory northwest of the Ohio was claimed by several of the Eastern States, on the ground that it was included within the limits indicated by their charters from the English Crown. In answer to the wishes of the Government and people, these States, in a patriotic spirit, surrendered their claims to this extensive territory, that it might constitute a common fund to aid in the payment of the national debt.

To prepare the way for this cession, a law had been passed in October, 1780, that the territory so to be ceded should be disposed of for the common benefit of the whole Union; that the States erected therein should be of suitable extent, not less than one hundred nor more than one hundred and pg 059fifty miles square; and that any expenses that might be incurred in recovering the posts then in the hands of the British should be reimbursed.

New York released her claims to Congress on the 1st of March, 1781; Virginia on the 1st of the same month, 1784; Massachusetts on the 19th of April, 1785; and Connecticut on the 4th of September, 1786.

Meanwhile, the Iroquois, in 1784, conveyed to the United States all their right to any lands west of Pennsylvania; and on the 1st of January, 1785, by the treaty of Fort McIntosh, the Ottawas, Chippewas, Delawares, and Wyandots surrendered all the lands claimed by them south of the Ohio, a belt of territory six miles broad, commencing at the River Raisin and extending along the strait to Lake St. Clair, a tract of twelve miles square at the Rapids of the Maumee, together with the Islands of Bois Blanc and Mackinaw, and also a tract six miles by three on the mainland, to the north of the last-mentioned island. These different cessions having been obtained from the native tribes, in 1787 a government was organized for this extensive region, which received the name of the Northwest Territory.

It is unnecessary here to examine particularly the details of this ordinance: it was based on the principles of civil liberty maintained in the Magna Charta of England, re-enacted in the Bill of Rights, and incorporated into our different State constitutions. This ordinance, it is well known, was drawn up by Nathan Dane, of Beverly, Massachusetts, a benevolent and excellent man, and a distinguished lawyer, who was the compiler of a very valuable abridgment of American Law, and the founder of the Dane Law School in the University of Cambridge.

On the 7th of April, 1788, a company of forty-seven individuals landed at the spot where Marietta now stands, and there commenced the settlement of Ohio. The first code of laws for this territory was published by nailing them to the body of a tree upon the banks of the Muskingum, and Return Jonathan Meigs was appointed to administer them, the Governor, Arthur St. Clair, not having yet arrived.

We have seen that the Western posts were still retained by the British Government, notwithstanding the peace concluded in 1783. Several questions of no little interest had sprung up, which excited unfriendly feelings between the two nations and governed their policy. Debts due by Americans to British subjects, the payment of which had been guaranteed by the treaty, were not paid; and, on the other hand, the slaves belonging to American citizens, and who had been taken away by the British officers, were not restored. In consequence of this unsettled state of things, when the Baron Steuben was sent by General Washington to Sir Frederic Haldimand at Quebec to arrange matters for the occupation of these posts, with instructions to proceed to Michigan and along the line of the lake frontier for the purpose of taking possession of them, he was informed that they would not be given up, and was refused passports to Niagara and Detroit.

Combined with the retention of the posts, a new confederacy among the savages was evidently organizing in the West. As early as December, 1786, a grand council of the different tribes was held near the mouth of the Detroit river. At this council were delegates from the Six Nations, from the Hurons, the Ottawas, the Miamis, the Shawanese, the Chippewas, the Cherokees, the Delawares, the Pottowatamies, and from the confederates of the Wabash. The principal subject of discussion at this council appears to have been a question of boundary. It was contended by the Indians that the United States had no right to cross the Ohio river, but they advised a pacific line of policy so long as there was no actual encroachment upon their territory. The design of this discussion undoubtedly was to create a belief pg 060that the Americans intended to drive them from their lands, and, as was said, to “kindle their council fires wherever they thought proper, without consulting the Indians.” The American Government, indeed, considered that the treaty of 1783 vested in them jurisdiction over the Indian territory, a claim which the native occupants were by no means disposed to admit. At this time, also, the United States were at issue with a foreign Power respecting the right of navigating the Mississippi.

Among other things, as a plea for still retaining the Western posts, it was pretended by the English that the extensive and valuable country in which they were situated had been ceded away through some oversight on the part of the commissioners, or from their ignorance of the geography of the country. But the real motives by which they were actuated are sufficiently manifest. They had already succeeded in exciting hostile feelings among the Indian tribes, and this they were determined to take advantage of for the purpose of preventing this broad and fertile region from passing out of their hands.

Many of the half-breeds were also active in seconding the views of the English, not only by inflaming the minds of the Indians, but by promising to take up arms in their cause, from a belief that if they did not thus side with them they would not afterward be suffered to trade in their territory. Meanwhile Alexander McKenzie, an agent of the British Government, visited Detroit, painted like a savage, and stated that he had just returned from the remote tribes of the upper lakes, who were all in arms, and prepared to oppose the claims of the Americans to the Western lands; that large bodies of warriors had already assembled, and that they were about to attack the infant settlements of Virginia and Ohio. The artifice practised by McKenzie succeeded to his wish; and he could the better operate upon the prejudices and passions of the Indians as he spoke their language perfectly well. Elliot and the notorious Simon Girty were no less active in exciting the savages to war.

In 1794 an agent was sent from the Spanish settlements on the banks of the Mississippi for the same object, and to hasten the organization of the Indian confederacy against the United States. “Children,” said he to his savage auditors, “you see me on my feet grasping the tomahawk to strike them, (the Americans.) We will strike together. I do not desire you to go before me in the front, but to follow me. Children, you hear what these distant nations have said to us, so that we have nothing to do but to put our designs into immediate execution, and to forward this pipe to the three warlike nations who have been so long struggling for their country. Tell them to smoke this pipe, and to forward it to all the lake Indians and to their Northern brethren. Then nothing will be wanting to complete our general union from the rising to the setting of the sun, and all the nations will be ready to add strength to the blow we are going to strike.” Excited by these various means, bands of savage warriors, armed with the tomahawk and scalping-knife, were seen hastening towards the lake posts, and another great Indian confederacy was formed, consisting of the Ottawas, the Pottowatamies, the Wyandots, the Miamis, the Chippewas, and the Delawares.

As early as 1785 and 1786 the hostile Indians had occasionally sent their war-parties against the feeble frontier settlements in Kentucky and along the banks of the Ohio, where a few enterprising emigrants from Virginia and New England had erected their little clusters of log-cabins.

These border incursions, which most clearly appear to have been countenanced by the British, induced the American Government in 1790 to send into that quarter General Josiah Harmar, an accomplished and able officer, pg 061to put a stop to them. He advanced against the hostile tribes with a force amounting to fourteen hundred men; but, imprudently dividing his army, he was taken by surprise and defeated by a body of Indians led on by that sanguinary and desperate warrior, the Little Turtle.

General Harmar, having failed in his enterprise, was succeeded by Major General St. Clair, the Governor of the Northwestern Territory; and in October, 1792, this officer advanced into the Indian country with a force of about two thousand men. Warned as he was by the disaster that had proved so fatal to his predecessor, he fell into an ambuscade that had been laid for him, where the Indians, firing from behind their breastwork of fallen trees, carried destruction into the American ranks, and soon covered the ground with their dead. So sudden and unexpected was the attack, and so murderous the fire of the enemy, that the general was compelled to order a retreat, leaving his artillery in the hands of the savages.

On account of these repeated disasters, it became necessary to increase the army by enlistments, and to push a still stronger force against the hostile Indian tribes. General Washington therefore made the most strenuous efforts to effect this object; but, owing to the panic produced by the disastrous defeats of Harmar and St. Clair, with but little success. There was, moreover, no small opposition to the war; and additional measures were deemed necessary to bring it to a close.

In 1793 General St. Clair was succeeded by General Anthony Wayne in the command of the Western army. Advancing through the forests to the spot which had been rendered memorable by the defeat of St. Clair, he there constructed a fort upon the site of the old fortification, and called it Fort Recovery. Situated in the midst of the scene of former carnage, there might then have been seen around it, under the trees and amid the fallen logs, the bleached bones of those who had been slain.

General Wayne soon reached the confluence of the Au Glaze and Maumee rivers, and found the villages spread along the bottoms of the latter completely deserted. A short time afterward he arrived at the Rapids of the Maumee, and erected there a fort about four miles above the British post, which he called Fort Deposite, in which he placed his stores and baggage. This British post, established on American ground, had been fortified by a detachment sent from Detroit the preceding spring, and the Indians appeared to look upon it as their last refuge in case they were attacked.

The British Government had demanded, before the treaty of 1783, as one of the conditions of peace, the complete independence of the savage tribes, with, of course, the power to grant their lands to whomsoever they pleased. The Americans having refused to accede to this condition, that post was established on the banks of the Miami for the purpose, it was believed, of countenancing the Indians, and of actively supporting them should they gain the ascendancy. General Wayne therefore felt it necessary to advance with the utmost caution, as everything depended not only upon his courage, but his prudence. He had been directed, however, in case he was opposed by the British, to treat them according to the usages of war.

The American commander was not long in coming up with his savage foe. The Indians regarding him with great fear from his supposed cunning, calling him the Blacksnake on that account; while the American army, consisting of three thousand men, no doubt presented a truly formidable appearance to them.

The Indian force, their whole strength being collected at this point, was in point of numbers about the same. Most of the savages were naked and painted for battle. Stationed in a dense forest, and protected by the rocky pg 062bank of the river and a breastwork of fallen trees, they were disposed in three lines within supporting distance of each other.

Wayne’s Legion consisted of two thousand regulars and one thousand mounted militia, under General Scott, of Kentucky. The right flank of his army rested on the river, a brigade of mounted volunteers under General Todd occupied the left, and General Babee, with his division, formed the rear. Major Price was ordered to advance with a select battalion of riflemen to reconnoitre, and, if attacked, to retreat in pretended confusion, in order to entice the enemy towards the main body. The stratagem proved successful; and while the savages were rushing forward and startling the wilderness with their yells of triumph, the American army advanced against them with trailed arms, being ordered to press them with the bayonet, to rouse them from their lurking-places, and deliver a close fire upon their backs, so as to allow them no opportunity to escape. The Indians now began to break, and retreated towards the walls of Fort Maumee. While these events were taking place, the gates of the fort had been shut, and the English within gazed with apparent indifference upon the scene. In the action there was actually engaged on the side of the savages a force from Detroit, headed by a prominent individual of that place. General Wayne destroyed the Indian villages and the corn-fields on the banks of the Maumee, and proceeded towards Fort Defiance.

Before he left the battle-ground, however, he paraded his force in front of the British post, that they might see its strength, while he advanced with his staff towards the glacis to examine the character of the position, and to ascertain, as far as was possible, what were the intentions of the garrison. The American officers, as they drew near, could discover the British soldiers, with matches lighted and standing by their guns, ready for any emergency that might arise. Some attempts were made by his officers to persuade the British commander to revenge this insulting parade before his post by allowing them to salute the Americans with a discharge from their artillery. Nothing of this kind, however, was permitted, though a correspondence of no very friendly character took place. General Wayne finally succeeded in concluding a treaty with the Indians at Greenville, which effectually broke up the confederacy.

The settlements in Michigan up to this period had advanced but slowly. The French Canadians had extended their farms to a considerable distance along the banks of the St. Clair; and on the Detroit river there were a few straggling French settlements, as also on Otter Creek, and on the rivers Rouge, Pointe aux Tremble, and other small streams flowing into Lake Erie. Agriculture and the fur-trade constituted nearly the entire occupation of the inhabitants.

Detroit and Frenchtown, both in the eastern part of the peninsula, were at this time the only places of much importance. The former was merely a small cluster of rude wooden houses, defended by a fort, and surrounded by pickets, and formed, as it had long done, the principal depot for the fur-trade. The population, independent of the soldiers of the garrison, consisted principally of Scotch, French, and English merchants, who had removed here after the conquest of the country, for the prosecution of that traffic. The goods required here were obtained from Montreal, and bills of credit for small sums, payable at that place or at Quebec, were allowed to be issued by the merchants, on condition of their giving security to double their amount. Frenchtown, on the river Raisin, now a place of considerable importance, consisted at that time of only a few log cabins, erected by the French on either bank of the river. Two Indian villages, one occupied pg 063by the Ottawas, the other by the Pottowatamies, stood on the present site of the city of Monroe. Being a depot for the Northwestern Company, the surrounding Indians periodically resorted there to exchange their furs and peltry for cloths, beads, silver ornaments, firearms, ammunition, and such other articles as they required. The French settlers in the vicinity also disposed of their corn here in exchange for goods, and from thence it was transported to the upper lakes for the use of the traders.

About this time a project was started, which, had it been successful, would have been highly injurious to the interests of this part of the West. In 1795, Robert Randall, of Pennsylvania, and Charles Whitney, of Vermont, in connection with several merchants of Detroit, entered into a compact, the object of which was to appropriate to themselves a tract of territory comprising nearly twenty millions of acres, situated between Lakes Erie, Huron, and Michigan. This was to be done by securing to themselves the pre-emption right. The land was to be divided into forty-one shares, five of which were to be apportioned among the traders of Detroit who were parties to the agreement, six were to be given to Randall and those associated with him, and the remainder were to be distributed among members of Congress who should exert their influence in procuring the passage of the necessary law. The amount proposed to be paid for this vast tract was from half a million to a million of dollars; and it was believed that the merchants of Detroit had sufficient influence with the Indians to induce them to part with the land. In opposition to the measure, it was represented that, under the treaty of 1783, the right of purchase belonged exclusively to the United States; while, on the other hand, it was urged that the Indians were dissatisfied with this treaty, and did not consider themselves bound by it, and that the plan proposed would alone establish tranquility among them, and secure peace to the country. But, as soon as the corrupt character of the plan was discovered, the two principal projecters were brought before the bar of the House of Representatives, when, on the hearing of the evidence, Randall was discharged, but Whitney was fined to the amount of the costs which had accrued, and received a severe reprimand.

The Indian power having been broken by Wayne’s victory, and the treaty of Greenville binding the savages from farther aggression, the island of Mackinaw was at last surrendered, and Detroit also given up, the retiring garrison, to show their spite, locking the gates of the fort, breaking the windows in the barracks, and filling the wells with stones, in order to annoy the new occupants as much as was in their power. The latter post was soon after taken possession of by a detachment of troops under the command of Captain Porter, and the American flag hoisted on its ramparts for the first time. Thus Michigan at last passed quietly into the possession of the United States.

While the English held this country, Mackinaw was the chief place of rendezvous for the Indians and the traders of the Northwest Company. Starting from this picturesque island in huge canoes, propelled by the voyageurs, the merchants would at times sweep across the sparkling waters of those inland seas, provided with the means of the most luxurious revelry, and, encamping on their shores, would there hold their feasts, surrounded by half-bred dependants, traders, and Indians.

While the French were in possession of this country, as there was but little coin for general circulation, accounts were kept in beaver-skins or other furs reduced to their current value. The price of beaver at Michilimackinac in 1765 was two shillings and sixpence the pound, Michilimackinac currency; otter-skins were six shillings each, and marten-skins one shilling pg 064and sixpence. Ten beaver-skins were given for a stroud blanket, eight for a white blanket, two for a pound of powder, one for a pound of shot or ball, twenty for a gun, two for an axe of one pound weight, and one for a knife. The notes and coin of Quebec were sometimes seen at the lake posts, but not in sufficient quantity to be relied on for a uniform currency.

CONDITION AFTER THE SURRENDER OF THE POSTS.

It was a long time after this fertile but uncultivated territory came into the possession of the United States before its character was materially changed. The Canadian French continued to form the principal part of its population. The interior of the country was but little known except by the Indians and the traders, who explored it in the pursuit of furs. As the effect of transferring the jurisdiction from France to England had been little more than to change the garrisons from French to English, and to give to the Hudson’s Bay Company a monopoly of the fur-trade, so its surrender to the United States produced but little alteration in its general features. As the Indian title was not fully extinguished, no lands were brought into market, and, consequently, the settlements proceeded but very slowly.

In the division of the Northwestern Territory, what is now the State of Michigan constituted a single county, which received the name of Wayne. It sent one representative to the Legislature of the Northwestern Territory, which was held at Chilicothe. A Court of Common Pleas was organized for the county, and the general court of the whole territory sometimes met at Detroit. No roads had as yet been constructed through the interior, nor were there any settlements except on the frontiers. The habits of the people were essentially military, and but little attention was paid to agriculture except by the French peasantry. In winter they drove their carrioles over the ice with their Canadian ponies that were of Norman stock, many of which are now to be seen in this country; and in summer they employed small wooden carts, well adapted to the state of the roads, for the carriage of their goods—vehicles that are still used.

The county continued to send a representative to the General Assembly of the Northwestern Territory at Chilicothe until 1800, when Indiana was erected into a separate territory; and two years afterward it was annexed to this new-formed territory, and remained under its jurisdiction until 1805. In the month of January of that year it was erected into a separate territory, and William Hull was appointed the first governor. The system of government was somewhat peculiar, the executive power being confided in the governor, the judicial in three judges, who were authorized to “adopt and publish” laws suited to the territory, and not incompatible with the ordinance of 1787, and the legislative power was exercised by the two jointly. On the 25th of July of that year the territory was divided into three districts, namely, Erie, Huron, and Michilimackinac, for each of which a court was established, to be held by one of the judges of the Supreme Court of the territory, with exclusive jurisdiction in criminal matters, and also in all civil cases above the sum of twenty dollars, those below this sum being cognizable by justices of the peace. A few years afterward it was divided into counties, in each of which was organized a county court. The laws thus introduced were, as might be expected, crude and ill-digested, as is abundantly attested by the records of the courts at that period, which are still preserved.

General Hull, when he arrived at Detroit to assume his official duties as governor of the territory, found the town in ruins, it having been destroyed pg 065by fire. Whether this disaster had been occasioned by accident or design was not known. However this may have been, as the town was very compact, covering only two acres of ground, and the materials were of the most combustible nature, it was soon entirely consumed, and the unfortunate inhabitants were obliged to encamp in the open fields, almost destitute of food and shelter. Still they were not discouraged, and soon commenced rebuilding their houses on the same site. The General Government also took their case into consideration, and an act of Congress was passed, granting to the sufferers the site of the old town of Detroit, and ten thousand acres of land adjoining it.

A judiciary system was now adopted, and the territorial militia were organized. In October of the same year a report was made to Congress of the condition of the territory, and in May of the following year a code of laws was adopted similar to those of the original States. This code was signed by Governor Hull, Augustus B. Woodward, and Frederick Bates, judges of the territory, and was called the “Woodward Code.” The bounds of the territorial government, as then established, embraced all the country on the American side of the Detroit river, east of a north and south line drawn through the centre of Lake Michigan.

The Indian land-claims had been partially extinguished previous to this period. By the treaty of Fort McIntosh in 1785, and that of Fort Harmar in 1787, extensive cessions had either been made or confirmed, and in the year 1807 the Indian titles to several tracts became entirely extinct.

In consequence of the settlements which had been made under the French and English Governments, some confusion sprang up in regard to the titles to valuable tracts that were claimed by different individuals under the French laws. Congress accordingly passed an act establishing a board of Commissioners to examine and settle these conflicting claims; and in 1807 another act was passed, confirming to a certain extent the titles of all such as had been in possession of the lands then occupied by them from the year 1796, when the territory was surrendered, down to the date of that act. Other acts were subsequently passed, extending the same conditions to the settlements on the upper lakes.

In addition to their settlements along the shores of the Detroit and St. Clair rivers, and the lake of the latter name, where there was a continued line of cottages, with farms adjoining, containing orchards of pear and apple trees, planted, probably, in the reign of Louis XIV., and the old posts on the island of Mackinaw, at Ste. Marie and at St. Joseph, the French colonists had a line of cabins on the river Raisin, where the city of Monroe (then called Frenchtown) now stands. The interior of the country was but little known except by those who were engaged in the fur-trade, and these were interested in representing it in as unfavorable a light as possible. The Indian titles to the land had been but partially extinguished, and no portion of the public domain had yet been brought into market. But few American settlers had therefore ventured into this region, though the adjoining State of Ohio had already acquired a considerable population.

The distance of this territory also, and the unsettled state of affairs along the western borders of the lakes, necessarily prevented immigration. On the opposite shore there was a jealous foreign power, and the interior of the country was occupied by different savage tribes. The territory, too, had but just emerged from an Indian war, and another was evidently preparing. This third Indian confederacy was not only countenanced by the English, but directly instigated by them. The motives which led to it, and pg 066the means employed to bring it about, were the same as had proved successful in exciting the former insurrections under Pontiac and the Little Turtle. The old story was revived, that the Americans were about to drive the Indians from their lands that they might occupy them themselves. The chief projecters of this savage league were Tecumseh and his brother the Prophet.

The warlike leader of the enterprise was Tecumseh, while the Prophet, whose Indian name was Elkswatawa, was to operate on the minds of the savages by means of superstition, and to excite in them a spirit of fanaticism still more to inflame their natural ferocity.

The disaffection of these tribes was certainly what might have been expected. They saw a new power encroaching upon the inheritance that had been handed down to them from their ancestors, introducing their hated cultivation upon their soil, and rudely disturbing the graves of their dead. It was not difficult, therefore, to unite them in one last desperate struggle to resist this aggressive and threatening power.

Their titles had been only very partially extinguished, and they complained, that where this had been done, the treaties had been unfairly conducted; that the Indians had been deceived; that they were in a state of intoxication at the time they signed away their lands, and that, even under these circumstances, only a part of the tribes had given their consent. The dissatisfaction thus existing among them was artfully fomented by the agents of the Northwest Company, who foresaw that if the Americans were permitted to occupy this country they would be cut off from a valuable portion of their trade; while the English Government, which had ceded away this extensive tract without any very definite notions of its importance or extent, looked with complacency on any attempts made by the savages to retain it in their hands. An overreaching spirit had doubtless actuated many of the pioneer settlers of the West, and wrongs had been inflicted upon the Indians which required correction. Taking advantage of this, the traders, and the English generally, were indefatigable in sowing the seeds of discontent among the savage tribes; and it was contended that they should hold the undisturbed possession of the Northwestern Territory, without surrendering the right of pre-emption to the United States.

The Prophet commenced his mission among the tribes in 1806. Taking advantage of the superstitious notions of the Indians, he told them that the Great Spirit had appeared to him in a dream, and appointed him his agent upon the earth; and that, as such, his own tribe, the Shawanese, being the oldest tribe of the West, he was commanded to direct them to form a general confederacy against the United States. He had been instructed also, he said, to proclaim to the red men that it was the will of the Great Spirit that they should throw away the arts of civilization, return to their skins for clothing, and to their bows and war-clubs for arms, renounce the intoxicating drinks of the white men for pure water, and, in a word, resume all the customs of their ancestors. The Americans, he said, had driven the Indians from the seacoast, and were now preparing to push them into the lakes, so that they had no alternative but to make a stand where they were, and drive back these insatiable intruders to the other side of the Alleghany Mountains.

The plan of this league was in many respects similar to that formed by Pontiac. Tecumseh’s intention was to surprise the posts of Detroit, Fort Wayne, Chicago, St. Louis, and Vincennes, and to unite all the tribes from the borders of New York to the banks of the Mississippi.

As early as the year 1807, the Shawanese chief and his brother, the Prophet, pg 067were actively engaged in sending their emissaries, with presents and war-belts, to the most distant tribes, to induce them to join in the confederacy; and when the comet appeared in 1811, the latter artfully turned it to account, by practising on the superstitions of the savages. Thus the fame and the influence of the Prophet spread rapidly among the tribes of the Northwest.

On the 4th of May, a special mission, consisting of deputies from the Ottawas, was sent to a distant post upon the borders of Lake Superior, and a grand council being there assembled, it was addressed by Le Marquoit, or Trout. He told the Indians that he had been sent by the messenger and representative of the Great Spirit, and that he was commissioned to deliver to them a speech from the “first man whom God had created, said to be in the Shawanese country.”

He then informed them what were the instructions of the Great Spirit in the succeeding address: “I am the father of the English, of the French, of the Spaniards, and of the Indians. I created the first man, who was the common father of all these people as well as of yourselves, and it is through him, whom I have awaked from his long sleep, that I now address you. But the Americans I did not make. They are not my children, but the children of the Evil Spirit. They grew from the scum of the great water when it was troubled by the Evil Spirit, and the froth was driven into the woods by a strong east wind. They are numerous, but I hate them. My children, you must not speak of this talk to the whites; it must be hidden from them. I am now on the earth, sent by the Great Spirit to instruct you. Each village must send me two or more principal chiefs, to represent you, that you may be taught. The bearer of this talk must point out to you the path to my wigwam. I could not come myself to L’Arbre Croche, because the world is changed from what it was. It is broken and leans down, and as it declines the Chippewas and all beyond will fall off and die; therefore, you must come to see me and be instructed. Those villages which do not listen to this talk will be cut off from the face of the earth.”

It was by such means that the savages were roused to attack the frontier settlements of the West, and afterward to unite with the English in their war with the United States. In consequence of these menacing movements of the Indians, it was considered advisable to construct a stockade around the town of Detroit for its defence. The population was as yet small. There had been, indeed, up to that time but little to encourage the settlement of the country. The land had not been offered for sale, and a great portion of Western New York was still unoccupied: not a single steamer navigated the lakes, nor had any roads been made into the interior.

Nor was the neighborhood of Detroit without symptoms of Indian disaffection. In September, 1809, a special council of the Hurons was called near Brownstown, and, at the instigation of their principal chief, Walk-in-the-Water, they freely spoke of their grievances to Governor Hull. The speech addressed by this chief to the governor, setting forth the title of his tribe to a large tract of territory near the mouth of the Detroit river, which was claimed by the United States under the treaty of Greenville, shows how much dissatisfied they were with this treaty, and with the encroachments of the Americans upon their soil. In the midst of all these evidences of discontent on the part of the Indians, Michigan remained in a comparatively defenceless state. There were at this time in the whole territory but nine settlements of any importance; nor was the character of the population at these points such that it could be expected to oppose any very active resistance in the conflict which seemed to be approaching.

These settlements were situated on the rivers Miami and Raisin, on the pg 068Huron of Lake Erie, on the Ecorce, Rouge, and Detroit rivers, on the Huron of St. Clair, the St. Clair river, and the island of Mackinaw; and, in addition to these, there was here and there a group of huts belonging to the French fur-traders. The villages upon the Maumee, the Raisin, and the Huron of Lake Erie contained a population of about thirteen hundred; the post of Detroit and the settlements on the rivers Rouge and Ecorce and on the Huron of St. Clair numbered two thousand two hundred; the island of Mackinaw, with the small detached log-houses, about a thousand; Detroit was garrisoned by ninety-four men, and Mackinaw by seventy-nine. Thus the entire population of the State was only about four thousand eight hundred, four-fifths of whom were Canadian French, and the remainder chiefly Americans, with a few English and Scotch.

As there was no longer any doubt of the hostile intentions of the savages, it was deemed prudent to present a memorial to Congress, setting forth the defenceless condition of the territory and praying for aid from that body. Accordingly, on the 27th of December, 1811, such a petition was drawn up, signed by the principal inhabitants of Detroit, and forwarded to Washington.

The joint efforts of Tecumseh and the Prophet were successful in drawing a large body of Indians, probably not less than eight hundred, from the shores of Lake Superior to the station of the latter at Tippecanoe, though it is supposed that one-third of their number died of want and hardship on the way. Their plans were now nearly ripe for action, and parties of the Ottawas, the Miamis, the Chippewas, the Wyandots, the Mississagies, the Shawanese, and the Winnebagoes were to be seen with their bodies painted for war, and again seizing the hatchet.

The first hostile demonstrations were made against the French settlements, where bands of strange warriors made their appearance, armed for battle, and painted in the most hideous manner, with feathers stuck in their hair, and strings of bears’ claws about their necks, entering the houses by force, taking whatever they chose, and wantonly destroying with their tomahawks the beehives in the gardens of the settlers. Near the banks of the Kalamazoo, in the county of the same name, a smith’s forge had been set up, where hatchets and knives were made for the approaching contest: and at no great distance from it, in a retired spot, surrounded by a dense forest, the Indian women, with their children, had collected, for the purpose of raising corn to furnish a supply of food for the warriors.

Still more flagrant acts of aggression were perpetrated in the State of Indiana, where numerous murders were committed, and horses and other property stolen. It had been for some time noticed that the savages were collecting about the Prophet’s station, apparently with no friendly design. A conference was therefore held, in which it was insisted that these hordes should be made to return to their homes, that the property which had been stolen from the Americans should be restored, and that the murderers should be given up.

Tecumseh, on his part, denied that any league, such as was complained of, had been formed, and protested that he and his brother had no other object in collecting the tribes together but to strengthen the amicable relations between them, and to improve their moral condition. In regard to the murderers of the whites, who were alleged to have taken refuge among his tribe, he denied that they were there, saying, at the same time, that even if they were they ought to be forgiven, as he had forgiven the whites who had murdered his own people in Illinois.

All their plans having been fully matured, the contest at length began in pg 069earnest, on the banks of the Wabash, at the Prophet’s town; and, while the battle was raging, the Prophet was seen on an adjoining eminence singing a war-song to inflame with greater desperation the savage combatants. It was now no longer doubtful that another fierce and obstinate struggle was to be encountered. The Indian warriors, excited by fanaticism and a thirst for blood, in opposition to their chiefs, hastened from all sides towards the lake frontier to join Tecumseh. Meanwhile, the English on the opposite shores were looking with no small interest upon what was passing, regarding the savages as important allies to their own cause in the conflict in which they expected shortly to be engaged. “My son,” said one of their agents to an Indian chief, “keep your eyes fixed on me. My tomahawk is now up; be you ready, but do not strike till I give the signal.”

The statement of the fact should not be omitted that about this time the American Fur Company was formed, under the auspices of Mr. John Jacob Astor, of New York. Its operations were carried on much after the manner of the old French and English companies, by establishing chains of posts along the lake shores. This company annually collected a great quantity of furs, which were sent by the way of the Mississippi or the lakes to New York, from whence a large part of them were exported to foreign countries. They had also an extensive fishery on Lake Superior, where they took great quantities of trout and whitefish, which were salted, packed in barrels, and sent to the different ports of the adjoining country. But the company is now virtually extinct.

WAR BETWEEN GREAT BRITAIN AND THE UNITED STATES.

In June, 1812, war was declared between Great Britain and the United States. Without entering into particulars as to the causes of this war, suffice it to say that it was chiefly provoked by the continued impressment of American seamen, the unjust capture of American vessels, and the enforcement of illegal blockades.

Governor Hull, the year before, had represented to the General Government the exposed and defenceless condition of Michigan. That the posts at Detroit, Mackinaw, and Chicago were badly fortified and with insufficient garrisons, while at no great distance from them there was a large body of British subjects, who could, in case of war, be brought against them; that the whole American force consisted of but about five thousand men, whereas the militia of Canada amounted to more than one hundred thousand; and that the forests about Detroit were filled with hostile savages, who were secretly pledged to the confederacy of Tecumseh. This post he represented as of great importance, inasmuch as it commanded a wide extent of country, and furnished a point of support for operations against the Indians of the upper lakes. He proposed, therefore, that a powerful naval armament should be equipped on Lake Erie, sufficient to command that inland sea, and to co-operate effectively with the force at Detroit; or, if that were not done, that a strong detachment of troops should be marched from Niagara, to act in conjunction with those under his command in the invasion of the British provinces.

A body of troops was soon collected at Dayton, in Ohio, consisting of about twelve hundred men, raised by order of the President of the United States, and their number was somewhat increased by volunteers. These troops were formed into three regiments, under the command of Colonels McArthur, Finelly, and Cass, and a fourth regiment, about three hundred pg 070strong, under Colonel Miller, afterward joined them, the whole being under the command of General Hull, the governor of Michigan.

With this force the general marched from Dayton towards Detroit, and soon arrived at the Maumee of the lakes. The dense forests through which they had to pass, wholly without roads, opposed formidable obstacles to their progress. At the rapids of the Maumee a vessel was procured for the transportation of the sick soldiers, and of such bulky articles as would encumber the army. As this vessel was proceeding for Detroit by the way of the channel leading to Malden, she was captured by the British, who communicated to the Americans the first news of the declaration of war.

On the fifth of July General Hull arrived at Detroit, where his troops immediately set themselves to work to prepare for the coming contest. Four days afterward he received a communication from the Secretary of War, investing him with discretionary power either to seize Malden and advance into Canada, or to remain on the defensive. That place formed the most prominent and commanding position upon this part of the lake coast, and its possession would give him advantages in any future operations against the provinces of Canada.

He therefore crossed the Detroit river with his army, and established himself at Sandwich. From his headquarters at this place he issued a proclamation^[4] addressed to the Canadians, setting forth his object in invading their country, and inviting them to place themselves under the protection of the United States; protesting, at the same time, against the barbarity of employing the savages, and threatening indiscriminate retaliation against all who should be found fighting by their side. It was hoped that by this means the French Canadians would be induced either to join the Americans or remain neutral.

Many of the American officers were anxious to proceed immediately to the attack of Malden, but it was determined to wait for heavy artillery to be brought from Detroit. The army, therefore, remained quietly at Sandwich, merely sending out occasional foraging parties to procure provisions.

General Hull wished to ascertain what was the actual state of things at Malden, and he accordingly detached Colonel Cass, with two hundred and eighty men, to reconnoitre that position. On reaching the river Canard, he dislodged a picket-guard of the enemy, killing ten of their number, and seizing the bridge which they had been stationed there to defend. This bridge was only about four miles from Malden, and Colonel Cass was anxious to keep possession of it, to aid them in their contemplated attack upon that place. This, however, was thought inexpedient by General Hull, as such a course, he said, would bring on a general engagement, which he wished at that moment to avoid, as his artillery had not yet arrived, and a considerable detachment had been sent away from his army.

While the Americans were thus stationary at Sandwich, a British force was despatched from the Canada side to take possession of the island of Mackinaw. The whole garrison of this post was only fifty-seven men, under the command of Lieutenant Hanks; and the first intimation which this officer received of the declaration of war was the arrival of a body of British troops, supported by more than a thousand Indian warriors, consisting of Sioux, Winnebagoes, Talleswain Ottawas, and Chippewas. The savages, it appears, had been directed, in case of resistance, to show no quarter, and pg 071the odds being so fearfully against him, the American officer immediately surrendered. A detachment, under the command of Capt. Brush, had been sent by Governor Meigs, of Ohio, to escort a quantity of provisions destined for the American army, and General Hull, being informed that a body of Indians had left Malden to intercept this convoy, despatched Major Van Horn, with two hundred men, for its protection. On arriving at Brownstown this detachment was suddenly attacked by the savages, who, from behind a breastwork of logs and the trunks of trees, opened a deadly fire upon the American troops. Major Van Horn, finding himself unable to contend against the superior numbers of the enemy, retreated to Detroit, leaving eighteen of his men dead on the field.

The ordnance he was waiting for from Detroit not having arrived, on the 8th of August General Hull convened a council of war for the purpose of deciding what should be done, when it was determined to remain two days longer, and at the expiration of that time to make an attempt upon Malden at all hazards. Information, however, having been received in the meantime that the garrison at Malden had been re-enforced, General Hull changed his resolution, withdrew his army from the British territory, and retired to Detroit. The reasons he assigned for so unexpected a movement were, that General Brock was on his way to Malden with a considerable body of fresh troops; that his communication with Detroit was in danger of being cut off; and that the savage bands from the upper lakes, having no farther occupation in that quarter, would soon be pouring down upon him.

As it was important to open a communication with the River Raisin, that the army might receive the supplies sent from Ohio, six hundred men, under Lieutenant-Colonel Miller, had been detached to Frenchtown by General Hull for that object, the day that he crossed the Detroit river. Scarcely had this body reached Monguagon, when they were attacked by a superior force of British and Indians, the latter led on by Tecumseh, who opened upon them a destructive fire from their usual lurking-places behind trees and fallen timber, and in thickets of brushwood. The enemy being protected by a dense forest on the left, Colonel Miller advanced into it with his whole line, ordering his men to deliver a single fire, and then charge with the bayonet. This was gallantly done, and the British, as well as their savage allies, gave way before the fury of the onset. But, though thrown into confusion and broken, they still continued to fight with the utmost desperation. Tecumseh, although wounded, was seen in the thickest of the battle, and his shrill war-cry was heard above the fire of the musketry. An Indian, whose leg had been broken by a musket ball, while writhing with the agony of his wound, loaded his rifle and shot an American horseman. Many of the savages had stationed themselves in the tops of the trees, from which they discharged their rifles and arrows with deadly aim. The British force was commanded by Major Muir, of the forty-first regiment, and was four hundred strong without the Indians. The American loss in the action was ten non-commissioned officers and privates killed and forty-five wounded of the regular troops, and eight killed and forty-five wounded of the Ohio and Michigan volunteers. The British retreated under the cover of their armed vessels, which were anchored in the Detroit river, while the savages scattered themselves in the woods.

It was now determined to bring in the supplies needed for the army by a more circuitous route, and Colonels McArthur and Cass, with three hundred and fifty of the best troops, were detached from Detroit on the 13th of August for that object.

On the 14th the British General Brock arrived at Malden, and, advancing pg 072immediately to Sandwich with all his forces, the following day he summoned General Hull to surrender. “It is far from my intention,” he said, “to join in a war of extermination, but you must be aware that the numerous bodies of Indians who have attached themselves to my troops will be beyond my control the moment the contest commences.” To this menace the American general answered, “I have no other reply to make than that I am prepared to meet any force which may be at your disposal.”

The character of General Hull seems to have been well understood by the British commander. Indeed, in addition to the evidence he had given of indecision in not advancing against Malden, it was alleged that a portion of his correspondence, found on board an American vessel captured near that place, but too clearly evinced a want of those qualities which should distinguish a military commander.

Tecumseh, with his warriors, was at this time with the British general, to aid him in his projected attack upon the American post; and the latter, being anxious to acquire some knowledge of the country around Detroit, that he might avail himself of it in case he should from any cause be obliged to retreat into the neighboring forest, applied to this chief for information. Tecumseh took a strip of elm bark, stretched it upon the ground, and placed a stone upon each corner. Then with his scalping-knife he delineated upon it an accurate representation of the country, with its swamps, woods, and rivers. Pleased with this display of ingenuity, and to show his gratitude for the important services which this renowned chief had rendered to the British cause, Brock took his sash from his waist and presented it to him. The savage, however, would not wear it, but gave it to the Wyandot chief, Round-Head, “because,” said he, “he is an older and better warrior than I am.” Before the British crossed to the American side, their commander expressed a hope that the Indians, in case Detroit was taken, would not massacre the defenceless inhabitants. “No,” answered Tecumseh; “I despise them too much to have anything to do with them.”

As soon as he received the refusal to capitulate, Brock commenced a cannonade upon the American fort from across the river. This was answered from the opposite shore with considerable effect. An armed vessel being now seen about a mile below Detroit, it was supposed that the British intended to cross there, and Captain Snelling was detached with a body of troops to prevent it. It was suggested at the same time that a single piece of heavy ordnance would compel the British armed vessel to remove from her position, and keep the enemy from landing. This advice, however, was disregarded, and Captain Snelling was recalled to the fort by break of day.

Very early on the morning of the 16th the whole British force was seen slowly crossing the river under cover of their armed vessels, and they soon landed and advanced to Springwells without opposition. Here they halted, while the British general sent a second summons to the commander of the American post to surrender. It was not long, however, before the enemy was again seen advancing, his force being composed of regulars and of volunteers dressed in British uniforms, approaching nearer and nearer, as they moved deliberately through the forest bordering on the river, supported by their Indian allies under Maissot, Walk-in-the-Water, and Tecumseh. The American soldiers were impatiently waiting for orders to fire upon the advancing column, when all at once a white flag was hoisted upon the walls of the fort. General Hull, with cannon planted and poised to carry destruction into the ranks of the enemy, with a force which, to say the least, could have successfully resisted any immediate attack, suddenly gave orders that the detachments pg 073posted outside of the pickets and those on the ramparts should retire within the fort. Detroit, in a word, was given up without a shot being fired. The American soldiers dashed their muskets upon the ground in an agony of mingled shame and indignation. The regular troops were surrendered as prisoners of war, all the public property was given up, and no stipulations were made in behalf of the Canadian allies. The honor of the American arms was tarnished, and General Hull was disgraced forever. The detachments under Colonel Cass and Captain Brush had been included in the capitulation, but they fortunately escaped the disgrace that had been prepared for them.

General Hull was tried for treason and cowardice before a court-martial, and, though acquitted on the first charge, was convicted on the second, and sentenced to be shot: but, in consideration of his former services in the war of the Revolution, he was pardoned by the President. There seems to be no doubt in some minds that the conduct of General Hull was not that of a brave and efficient officer. He neglected to advance into Canada when he might have done so with a fair prospect of success; he evinced a want of firmness in resisting the enemy; and, finally, he gave up an important post that was prepared for a siege without firing a gun in its defence; surrendering, at the same time, the entire territory under his charge.

On the other hand, it has been said in his defence that he was in the midst of an immense wilderness, filled with savages, where he was cut off from all aid from the East. It has been alleged, too, that a spirit of insubordination prevailed among the militia, and that party strife among them ran high. But we would draw a veil over the subject. This much is in his favor, that the verdict of the court exonerated him from the guilt of treason, whatever might have been the verdict of his country.

Meantime the military post of Chicago also capitulated. Influenced by a fear of the hostile Indians on the borders of Lake Michigan, General Hull had, on the first breaking out of the war, ordered Captain Heald, the commander of this post, to abandon it and retire to Fort Wayne. A large body of savages had collected around it, and they were promised all the surplus stores if they would abstain from harassing the detachment on its withdrawal from the fort. There was among these stores a quantity of powder and whiskey, either of which it was thought imprudent to relinquish to the Indians; the former was accordingly deposited in a well and the latter thrown away. The savages, however, found out what had been done, and they were perceived collecting around the fort, apparently with hostile intentions. The garrison, consisting of fifty-four regulars and twelve militiamen, accompanied by twelve families who had fled there for protection, retired from the post, and had not proceeded more than half a mile when they were attacked by the savages. Having imprudently destroyed the means of defending themselves, they were soon compelled to surrender, which they did not do, however, until about half their number had been killed and several of the women and children. The prisoners were distributed among the neighboring tribes, and on the following morning the fort was set on fire and burned to the ground.

Being now in possession of Michigan, the British established a provisionary government at Detroit, the savages meanwhile being permitted at pleasure to ravage the frontier settlements and insult the defenceless inhabitants.

But, although the British arms had been thus far successful, it was determined to wrest from them the advantages they had gained. Accordingly three separate armies were assembled: that of the north, stationed upon the shores of Lake Champlain, and under the command of General Hampton; pg 074that of the centre, between Lakes Ontario and Erie, under General Dearborn; and that of the west, under General Harrison, to take up its position at the head of Lake Erie. The protection of the Michigan frontier, therefore, devolved more immediately upon the latter. The defence of Upper Canada was at this time committed to Colonels Proctor and Vincent, and that of the lower province to General Sheaffe, under the direction of the governor-general of the provinces.

General Harrison lost no time in marching his army towards the lake frontier. He sent forward a detachment of his forces to Presque Isle, to wait there for the arrival of the main body; and General Winchester, with eight hundred Kentuckians, was ordered to advance to Frenchtown, on the River Raisin, where he arrived on the 13th of January.

This officer took up a position on the Frenchtown side of the river, close to its banks. Sentinels were placed around the encampment, and the night being cold, the troops spent the greater part of it in ranging about the village. During the evening, a French Canadian from Malden gave information that a body of British and Indians, amounting in all to about three thousand men, were preparing to start from that place for the River Raisin soon after he left. No notice, however, was taken of this intelligence, from a belief that it was without any foundation, and, consequently, no precautionary measures were adopted, the main road by which alone the enemy could pass being left entirely unguarded. So completely unapprehensive, indeed, was the American commander of any danger, that he had taken lodgings on the opposite bank of the river, at the house of a Frenchman.

Early on the morning of the 22d of January, just after the reveille had been beaten, a rapid fire of musketry was heard from the sentinels. The enemy, it appears, had arrived without being observed during the night, and taken up a position behind a small ravine, from which he now opened a tremendous fire of shells, and of grape and cannon shot, upon the American camp. The consternation of the Americans was greatly increased by the advance of the British troops under Proctor, and by the fiendish yells of the savages. A general panic ensued, and great numbers were cut down. In the meantime, General Winchester arrived from the opposite shore, and attempted to rally his retreating soldiers; but, exposed as they were to a heavy fire from the enemy, they continued to fall back. Orders were then given to incline towards the centre, and retire within the pickets of their camp. These orders, however, appear not to have been heard, and the troops, pressed by the bayonets of the British regulars, and attacked by the savages on their right, retreated in great confusion upon the ice across the river.

An attempt was now made to re-enforce the right wing, but without success. Owing to the suddenness of the attack, and the want of all preparation to meet it, there was neither system, discipline, nor obedience. The savages had posted themselves along the edge of the surrounding forest, at every point where there was any chance for retreat. They also completely commanded the long narrow lane leading to the village, and here great numbers of the Americans were killed. On the borders of the wood, the two chiefs, Round-Head and Split-Log urged on their warriors to the commission of the most frightful cruelties, and here the tomahawk and scalping-knife were dyed in blood. Colonel Allen was shot down, but Majors Graves and Madison continued gallantly to maintain their position within the pickets against all the attacks of the British, supported by their savage allies. General Winchester had in the meantime been taken prisoner; and not long after a flag arrived from the British lines with orders addressed to Major pg 075Madison from that officer to cease hostilities, and surrender his troops prisoners of war. To this the former replied, that, as the Indians were in the habit of massacring their prisoners, he would agree to no capitulation unless the safety of his men was first expressly guaranteed. The surrender was finally adjusted upon the conditions that the lives of the soldiers should be protected; that individual property should beheld sacred; that sleds should be sent the next morning with the wounded to Amherstburg, and that the sidearms of the officers should be restored at Malden. The battle-field was covered with the lifeless forms of the brave Kentuckians, who but a few hours before were seen full of hope, and glowing with all the ardor of patriotism. The painted savage and the British regular, the ardent and chivalrous son of high promise, who had been nursed in the lap of luxury, and the hardy yeoman, with his sleeves bared for battle, as they had been before rolled up while guiding the plough across his peaceful prairies, lay side by side on this field of death.

Shortly after the action, Colonel Proctor marched away with his regular troops and most of his savage allies, the remainder being left to guard the prisoners. At about sunrise the next morning, however, most of the Indians were seen coming back, painted in the most hideous manner, and in a state of intoxication. It was not long before they set up their horrid yells, and, rushing into the houses where the wounded prisoners were lying, they tore from them their blankets, and then despatched them with their tomahawks. Among these unhappy men there was a young Kentuckian of extraordinary beauty. Struck with his perfect proportions and manly grace, a chief claimed him as his prize, and led him in triumph, and in seeming admiration, through the village. But this was only in mockery of his victim; the tomahawk was commissioned to do its horrid work, and his clustering ringlets were soon seen waving from the scalp-stick of the merciless savage.

Most of the prisoners were confined in two houses. These the savages set on fire, and, as their victims attempted to escape from the windows, they pushed them back into the flames. Major Woolfolk, General Winchester’s secretary, was shot dead in the street; and, to complete the atrocity of this bloody transaction, the bodies of those who were slain were left where they fell to feed the wolves of the neighboring forest. The condition of such of the prisoners as escaped immediate death was not much better. These were marched towards Malden; and as soon as, from fatigue and exhaustion, they were unable to proceed farther, they were immediately despatched, and their bodies left unburied.

Meantime General Harrison was in Ohio, making every effort in his power to overcome the difficulties by which he was surrounded. Michigan, from the nature and position of the country, separated as it was by a dense forest from the inhabited portions of the United States, and occupied by savage tribes hostile to their cause, was a conquest of great value to the British. It gave them the command, too, of the posts on the upper lakes, and thus they were enabled to control the resources of the vast tract of territory along those inland seas and of the country extending from the western borders of Indiana and Illinois to the mouth of the Maumee.

Thus completely in the possession of the British and Indians, and protected by the intervening forests, Lake Erie seemed to be the only channel by which Michigan could be approached with a prospect of recovering it from the enemy. It became, therefore, an object of great importance to obtain the mastery on that lake, which was then commanded by an English fleet under Commodore Barclay.

At this conjuncture, Oliver Hazard Perry, a young officer twenty-eight pg 076years of age, then in charge of a flotilla of gunboats at Newport, anxious to obtain more active service, turned his attention to this lake; and his views having been approved by the Naval Department, he proceeded without loss of time to the port of Erie, for the purpose of building and equipping a fleet there sufficiently powerful to give him the command of its waters. A braver or more efficient officer could have been nowhere found. He was in the prime of early manhood, active, vigorous, and intelligent, generous, and self-sacrificing even to a fault, and possessed of those fine moral traits which gave a finish to his character, and admirably harmonized with the manly beauty of his person. He labored with indefatigable zeal to hasten the construction and equipment of his vessels, and, after encountering and overcoming every kind of discouragement, he at length found himself in the command of a sufficient force to meet the enemy. As, however, there was a difficulty in crossing the bar at the mouth of the harbor, and he was closely watched by the British commander, he remained quietly at anchor in port until a favorable opportunity should occur to sally forth. At length the fortunate moment arrived, and the American fleet was got safely over the bar, and made its way towards the upper end of the lake. On reaching Put-in Bay, Captain Perry there came to anchor, impatient for an opportunity to measure his strength with the enemy, and to wrest from him the superiority on this inland sea.

On the 10th of September, at dawn of day, as their anchors were apeak, and the crews of the different vessels were shaking out their topgallant-sails, the enemy were seen bearing down, under light sail, in order of battle, with their hulls newly painted, and the crimson flag of England waving at their mastheads. The British fleet, consisting of the ships Detroit, carrying nineteen guns, the Queen Charlotte, of seventeen guns, the schooner Lady Prevost, of thirteen guns, the brig Hunter, of ten guns, the sloop Little Belt, of three guns, and the schooner Chippewa, of one gun and mounting two swivels, was commanded by a veteran officer of tried skill and valor.

The British vessels no sooner made their appearance than the American fleet prepared for action and stood out upon the lake. It consisted of the brigs Lawrence, of twenty guns; Niagara, of twenty guns; Caledonia, of three guns; the schooners Ariel, of four guns, Scorpion, of two guns, Somers, of two guns; the sloop Trippe, of one gun; and the schooners Tigress and Porcupine, each of one gun.

While the two fleets were thus approaching each other the savages were not idle. Tecumseh had stationed himself with a band of warriors upon the island at the mouth of the Detroit river, waiting with intense interest the issue of the contest. No sooner was any change made in the movements of the hostile squadrons than he paddled swiftly over to Malden to communicate the fact. From the first roar of their guns he predicted the success of the English, and was greatly surprised when the news was brought to him that they had struck their colors to the Americans.

The order of battle decided on by Commodore Perry was to attack the Detroit, the British flag-ship, himself with the Lawrence, to oppose the Niagara to the Royal Charlotte, and the rest of his fleet was ordered to act as circumstances might require, and assail the enemy as they should be directed by signals, while the Ariel and Scorpion were instructed to take a position on the weather-bow and ahead of the Lawrence, in order to draw off a portion of the fire from that ship.

As the two fleets neared each other, the action was commenced by the enemy’s flag-ship, the Detroit, she being mounted with long guns, while the American vessels had only short pieces. The American commander resolved pg 077to capture the hostile fleet or perish in the attempt, bore down directly for the Detroit, making signals at the same time for all his vessels to come into close action. Owing to causes which are not very clearly understood the Niagara did not bear down to his aid. Still he was undaunted, although alone and exposed to nearly the whole of the enemy’s fire. Ranging along the front of their squadron, single and unsupported, he successively poured upon their ships from the battery of the Lawrence tremendous broadsides of ball and grape, while he received from them in return a no less destructive fire, which shivered his spars and covered his decks with wounded and dead. Such a fire no single vessel could long withstand. The hull of his ship was pierced in every direction, twenty-one of his men had been killed, sixty-one were wounded, and only fifteen remained who were capable of duty. All of his cannon except one had been dismounted, and this he continued to work with his own hands.

His ship being thus a complete wreck, and incapable of being longer defended, he determined to abandon her; and ordering his boat, amid a shower of shot, he proceeded to the Niagara, which vessel then lay at a considerable distance and had not been yet brought into close action. Meeting Captain Elliott at the gangway, he requested him to take the boat in which he had come and bring up the rest of the vessels, while he himself would bear down upon the enemy with the Niagara. The flag of the Lawrence now came down, amid the cheers of the British sailors, who supposed that the American fleet had struck. Ordering every sail on board the Niagara to be set, he was not long in closing with the enemy’s ships; and passing along their line he poured upon them, in quick succession, tremendous broadsides. Having driven the Royal Charlotte out of line, he next attacked the Detroit, and by the severity of his fire drove her men from their quarters. Captain Elliott now came up with the smaller vessels, and, taking a raking position under the stern of the Detroit, assisted to complete the victory. The slaughter on board this ship was dreadful: twenty-seven of her men had been killed and ninety-six wounded. At length a white handkerchief was hung out on the end of a boarding-pike as a signal of surrender; the triumph was complete, and all the vessels of the enemy were taken. The dead of both fleets were buried on an island in the lake.

The conduct of Perry was no less distinguished by humanity after the action than it had been by skill and bravery while the battle was raging; and the British commander long afterward expressed his grateful recollection of the generous courtesy of his youthful conqueror. It is thus that the horrors of war are in some degree softened by a display of the kindlier feelings of our nature.

This brilliant success gave to the Americans the uncontrolled command of the lake, and on the 23d of September their fleet landed twelve hundred men near Malden. Colonel Proctor, however, had previously evacuated that post, after setting fire to the fort and to the public store-houses. Commodore Perry in the meantime passed up to Detroit with the Ariel to assist in the occupation of that town, while Captain Elliott, with the Lady Prevost, the Scorpion, and the Tigress, advanced into Lake St. Clair to intercept the enemy’s stores.

Thus General Harrison, on his arrival at Detroit and Malden, found both places abandoned by the enemy, and was met by the Canadians asking for his protection. Tecumseh proposed to the British commander that they should hazard an engagement at Malden; but the latter foresaw that he should be exposed to the fire of the American fleet in that position, and therefore resolved to march to the Moravian towns upon the Thames, pg 078near St. Clair Lake, above Detroit, and there try the chance of a battle. His force at this time consisted of about nine hundred regular troops and fifteen hundred Indians commanded by Tecumseh. The American army amounted to two thousand seven hundred men, of whom one hundred and twenty were regulars, a considerable number militia, about thirty Indians, and the remainder Kentucky riflemen, well mounted, and mainly young men, full of ardor, and burning with a desire to revenge the massacre of their friends and relatives at the river Raisin.

The American general lost no time in seeking the enemy, whom he found drawn up in order of battle and prepared to receive him. On his right, in a swamp, was posted Tecumseh with his Indian warriors, while the space between them and the river was occupied by the regular troops. The American general extended his line to the same length with that of the British infantry, his small body of regulars he ordered to seize the enemy’s artillery, and the few friendly Indians were directed to act on his flank.

It had been determined to penetrate the swamp and turn the right of the Indians, as they could not cross the river, and the infantry were on the point of making this movement, when it was ascertained that the British were drawn up in a double line, and that, to enable them to occupy the whole space between the swamp and the river, they had been obliged to open their files. The plan of attack was therefore changed, and Colonel Johnson, with his mounted Kentuckians, was ordered to charge the enemy in front. These brave volunteers rushed upon the British column with such impetuosity that, unable to resist the fierceness of the onset, it broke and fled. Cleared of the regular force of the enemy, the battle-field now exhibited a series of personal encounters between the Kentuckians and Indians. Tecumseh, being wounded, it is said, and exasperated to desperation by the flight of his allies, resolved to sell his life as dearly as possible. Rushing, therefore, into the hottest of the conflict, he soon fell, pierced by a pistol-ball, and instantly expired.

This renowned chief deserves a passing notice. He possessed a noble figure, his countenance was strikingly expressive of magnanimity, and he was distinguished by moral traits far above his race. He was not remarkable for eloquence, or even for intellect, but he was a warrior in the broadest Indian sense of the word. Without the far-reaching views of Pontiac or his hereditary rank, still, in sudden action and desperate valor, he showed himself superior to that chief; and, though a new man, he acquired unbounded influence, and placed himself above all competitors as the great champion of Indian rights. While his brother, the Prophet, was the principal manager of the confederacy in all that related to its organization and plans, he was its executive arm in the field. There were other peculiarities by which he was no less distinguished. Like Pontiac, he manifested a deep interest in regard to the manners and customs of the whites; he would not sanction the barbarities practised by the Indians, and he disdained the personal adornments in which they so much delight. Although holding the rank of a brigadier-general in the British service, he pertinaciously adhered to his Indian garb; a deerskin coat, with leggins of the same material, was his constant dress, and in this he was found dead at the battle of the Thames. During the latter years of his life he was almost incessantly engaged either in the council or at the head of his warlike bands, and he sunk at last on the field of his glory, with tomahawk in hand and the cry of battle upon his lips.

With the death of Tecumseh the confederacy was dissolved, and a peace was concluded with the Ottawas, Chippewas, Miamis, and Pottowatamies.

The American fleet was now employed in removing the ammunition and stores from the captured British posts; and on the 18th of October General Harrison and Commodore Perry issued a joint proclamation at Detroit for the better government of the territory of Michigan, and guarantying to the inhabitants their rights of property, and the enjoyment of their ancient usages and laws.

The island of Mackinaw was now the only part of the territory remaining in the possession of the enemy. This being a post of great importance, from its commanding the upper lakes, and being the centre of the fur-trade, a fleet under Commodore Sinclair, with a body of land forces under Colonel Croghan, the gallant defender of Sandusky, was despatched in July, 1814, for the purpose of capturing it. After reconnoitering the coast near the island, the commodore proceeded to the neighboring island of St. Joseph, where he destroyed a few trading-posts and then returned.

Meanwhile, the British commandant was actively employed in strengthening his defences, and in summoning to his aid the nearest savage tribes. It was at first proposed to attack the post, near the village, as that part was the most free from trees, and, consequently, afforded less covert to the Indians. This, however, was objected to by Sinclair, as his fleet would be here exposed to the fire of the fort. It was finally concluded to land on the northeastern side of the island, although from this point they would be obliged to traverse its whole breadth, through a dense forest, in order to reach the British position. After marching some distance through the wilderness, on arriving at a small clearing, the detachment was fired on from all sides by the savages stationed in the surrounding woods. Major Holmes, at the head of a considerable force, was directed to charge the enemy; but, as he was gallantly executing the order, he was shot down by a rifle-ball. The fire, indeed, was so destructive, that the advanced party was obliged to retreat to the main body, upon which the whole force retired to their boats, abandoned the enterprise, and returned to Detroit. In consequence of this failure, the British retained possession of Mackinaw until the conclusion of peace.

The victory of Commodore Perry having secured the command of Lake Erie, Proctor’s army having been routed, and the Indian confederacy broken up, nothing of special interest transpired in Michigan during the remainder of the war. Colonel Cass was left with a brigade for the protection of the territory, which he effectually accomplished, until the treaty of peace, concluded at Ghent on the 17th of February, 1815, put an end to all farther hostilities.

TRANSITION FROM TERRITORY TO STATE.

Michigan now emerged into a new existence. Colonel Cass, who had served with great credit during the war, was appointed governor of the territory, and under his administration it gradually advanced in prosperity.

Hitherto there had been but little inducement for immigration from the East: the public lands had not been brought into the market, and recently the country had been suffering under the devastation of war. The beautiful pg 080oak-openings on the Kalamazoo, the fertile tracts on the borders of Grand River, the prairies of the St. Joseph, and the rich and inviting slopes along the shores of Lake Michigan, were traversed only by the wild beast and the savage, and the streams navigated only by the bark canoe. The feeble settlements on the frontier had been converted into scenes of desolation; no roads through the interior had been constructed; and the only access to the country by land from the East was through the trackless wilderness distinguished by the name of the Black Swamp, and by the military road along the Detroit river. Everything, therefore, was to be done to develop the resources of the territory, and to secure to it the advantages which, from its position and the fertility of its soil, it was entitled to enjoy.

It would appear, however, that the character of the country in regard to the latter particular was at that time but little understood, as is shown by the following fact: In 1812, Congress had passed an act providing for the survey of the bounty-lands to be granted for the soldiers enlisting for the war which had then just commenced, and this survey was directed to be made in the territory of Michigan. The persons employed for this object, however, made so unfavorable a report in regard to the soil, representing it as marshy and everywhere sterile, that in 1816 the act was repealed, and the quantity of land required for this purpose was ordered to be surveyed in Arkansas and Illinois. The surveyors either did not make a thorough examination of the soil, or, what perhaps is more probable, they were deceived by the sandy nature of the oaklands, which have a yellowish color before they are brought into cultivation, but which, from the quantity of lime they contain, turn black after they are exposed to the action of the sun and air by the plough.

During that year, however, and the two following, the country was more fully explored, and numerous tracts of fertile land, with a rolling surface, variegated by groves and lakes, were discovered. These lands were forthwith surveyed, and in 1817 and 1818 portions of them were offered for sale, showing the superiority of our enlightened and liberal laws, contrasted with the narrow policy of the former possessors of the soil. A great change now took place in public opinion in regard to the value of these lands, and subsequent surveys more fully confirmed the inaccuracy of the impressions which had hitherto prevailed in relation to them.

With the introduction of steam navigation upon its vast inland seas, a new era may be said to have commenced in the history of the progress of the West. This was in 1819, when the first steamboat, the Walk-in-the-Water, made her appearance on Lake Erie, crossing that lake and passing up to Mackinaw.

By the census taken about that time, the population of Michigan was ascertained to be eight thousand eight hundred and ninety-six. Detroit contained two hundred and fifty houses, and fourteen hundred and fifteen inhabitants, independent of the garrison. The island of Mackinaw, which continued to be a central mart for the fur-trade, had a stationary population of four hundred and fifty, which was at times increased to not less than two thousand by the Indians and traders who resorted there from the upper lakes. The settlement at the Saute de Ste. Marie contained only fifteen or twenty houses, occupied by French and English families.

Although, by the ordinance of 1787, lot number 16 was directed to be reserved in every township for the support of common schools, no measures had yet been taken to introduce a system of public instruction, if we except the act passed by the governor and judges in 1817 for the establishment of what was styled in it the Catholepestemiad, or University of Michigan. This pg 081act, which was drawn up by Augustus B. Woodward, Chief Justice of the Territory, is a very curious document. He was a gentleman possessing extensive acquirements, but was not a little eccentric in his character, and the views he entertained on this and some other subjects were certainly not very practical. The phraseology of the act is not its least singular feature, and would seem better suited to the age of my Lord Coke than to the understanding and condition of a race of new settlers engaged in clearing away the forest. This university was to have thirteen didaxia or professorships, each of which was to be liberally endowed, and it was designed to lay broad and deep the foundations for a thorough education.

Indeed, all Judge Woodward’s projects seem to have been upon no very moderate scale. Detroit is indebted to him for a plan of the city laid out in the form of a cobweb, with public squares, a circus, a Campus Martius, streets, cross-streets, avenues, &c., more vast in its conception and more complex in its design than ancient Rome, and requiring a longer period to fill it up than from the time of Romulus to our own day. The utilitarian tendencies of his successors, however, have made strange havoc with this magnificent plan, the traces of which are now nowhere visible but on the map.

On the admission of Illinois into the Union in 1818 all the territory lying north of that State and Indiana was annexed to Michigan; and the following year Congress passed an act authorizing the election of a delegate from the Territory to the National Legislature, who should have the right of speaking, but not of voting. This was of great advantage to the inhabitants, as they were thereby provided with a representative through whom they could make known their wants to the General Government.

Michigan, meanwhile, gradually continued to advance in population. The settlers extended themselves along the banks of the rivers Raisin, Huron, and St. Clair, and cleared away the forest from the spots where now stand the villages of Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Pontiac, Jackson, and Tecumseh.

That portion of the Territory, however, situated upon the borders of the upper lakes was then but little known; and in 1820 an expedition was set on foot for the purpose of exploring it, to ascertain the number and condition of the Indian tribes in that quarter, and to select such positions as might be most favorable for its defence. This expedition, which was under the direction of Governor Cass, was accompanied by a mineralogist, a topographical engineer, and a physician; was provided with an escort of soldiers, and the commanding officers of the posts along the lakes were ordered to afford it every facility in their power. The party started from Detroit on the 24th of May in bark canoes manned by voyageurs and Indians.

Passing up the river St. Clair, they proceeded along the shores of Lake Huron, visited the island of Mackinaw, then maintained as a trading-post by the Northwest Company, and soon arrived at the Saute de Ste. Marie.

This was considered a favorable point for the establishment of a military post. By the treaty of Greenville, concluded in 1795, the Indians had agreed that all the lands which they had granted to the French or English should be transferred to the United States. This place they had ceded to the French, who had formerly maintained a garrison here: it was clear, therefore, that it came within the provisions of that treaty. A council was therefore called, at which the Indian chiefs attended, dressed in fine broadcloths and decorated with trinkets of British manufacture. The savages opposed the occupation, and sought to prevent it by denying all knowledge of the original cession; and when it was fully explained to them they still pg 082persisted in withholding their consent, though in less positive terms, suggesting that their young men might prove unruly and kill the cattle which should stray from the post. This being understood as intended for a threat, Governor Cass replied that he would give himself no farther trouble to confer on the subject, but that so sure as the rising sun would set in the west, so sure should an American garrison be established at that place, whatever might be their decision.

The chiefs, who appear to have been under British influence, now spent several hours in discussion. Some of them were willing that the Americans should occupy the post if there were no troops stationed there. At length a chief, who held the rank of a brigadier general in the British service, seized his war-lance and struck it furiously on the ground, intimating thereby that the place would not be given up except to superior force, and the council soon afterward dispersed in a hostile spirit.

The expedition under Governor Cass consisted of sixty-six men, of whom thirty were regular soldiers, and the savages numbered about eighty warriors. The latter occupied the site of the old French fort and the Americans were drawn up upon the bank of the river St. Mary, a ravine separating the two at a distance of five or six hundred yards.

While the Americans were waiting to see what would be the issue of the affair, the British flag was hoisted from the midst of the Indian encampment by the chief who had shown so hostile a disposition in the council. On discovering this, Governor Cass ordered his men to stand by their arms, and, taking an interpreter, proceeded directly to the Indian camp. Here he indignantly tore down the obnoxious flag, telling the chief who had hoisted it that it was an insult of the grossest kind; that the flag was the emblem of national sovereignty; that the ensigns of two different nations could never float on the same soil; that they would not be permitted to raise any other than that of the United States; and that if they attempted it again that Power would set a strong foot upon their necks and crush them to the earth. When he had said this the governor returned to his encampment, and a few minutes after he arrived there the Indian women and children were seen quitting their lodges and getting on board their canoes. No act of hostility, however, was committed; and some of the older chiefs, who had not been present at the council, came forward and made overtures of peace. At seven o’clock the same evening a treaty was concluded with them, by which they ceded to the United States a tract of four miles square around the Saute, including the portage, the site of the old French fort, and the village, reserving to themselves the right of fishing at the falls and of encamping upon the shores. The calumet was smoked, and blankets, knives, silver trinkets, and broadcloths were distributed among them.

Everything having been settled, the expedition started again, and proceeded along the shores of Lake Superior. Here they were struck with the appearance of the Pictured Rocks, which extend for miles along the shores of the lake, stained with a variety of hues by the washing of mineral waters, and which exhibit to the delighted beholder the most singular scene imaginable of Nature’s painting. They visited also the Doric Rock, which presents the appearance of a rude though magnificent piece of architecture chiselled from the solid stone, and examined other curiosities on this part of the coast. The Copper Rock, at the mouth of the Ontonagon river, which has from time immemorial been the subject of Indian superstition in this wild, sequestered region they found particularly worthy of notice.

Having completed its survey, the expedition returned to Detroit by the way of Lake Michigan. The results were a more accurate knowledge of pg 083the geography of the country and of the operations of the Northwest Fur Company, the selection of sites for a line of military posts, and several important treaties with the Indian tribes, ceding valuable tracts of land to the United States, Mr. Henry R. Schoolcraft, who accompanied the expedition, afterward published his journal, giving a particular account of the country, and of the incidents which occurred along their route.

Soon after this an important change took place in the government of the territory. In 1823 Congress passed an act abrogating the legislative power of the governor and judges, and establishing a legislative council, to consist of nine members, limiting also the judges’ term of office to four years. Two years afterward all county officers, excepting those of a judicial character, were made elective by the people; all executive appointments were required to be approved by the legislative council; and an act was passed empowering the governor and council to divide the territory into townships, to incorporate the same, and to define their rights and privileges.

The Erie Canal, which had been commenced in 1817, was in 1825 opened for navigation from the Hudson to Buffalo; and this event forms an important epoch in the progress of Michigan. The effect of this great public improvement on the interests of the West was two-fold; it cheapened the foreign merchandise of which it stood in need, and in the same or a still greater proportion enhanced the value of its agricultural products. Its lands therefore increased in value, new facilities and new motives were offered for settlement, and from this period those vast and fertile regions advanced rapidly in population and general prosperity.

To meet the claims of the increasing population of the territory, new privileges were granted. In 1827 the legislative council was made elective by the people, with the power of enacting laws, subject to the approval of Congress and the veto of the local executive; and upon this footing things remained until the territory was admitted into the Union.

Governor Cass, meanwhile was indefatigable in his efforts to have roads constructed through the interior, and, warned by the experience of the past, to provide effectually for the public defence. His whole administration, indeed, was characterized by a persevering zeal to promote the prosperity of Michigan; to improve its institutions, and to develop its resources.

A new impulse, as we have already remarked, had been given to the progress of the West. It offered a boundless field for enterprise, and began to be considered the proper asylum and retreat for all who would better their fortune by industry. It was emphatically “the poor man’s country,” where his labor was sure to be rewarded by competence, and eventually by wealth. Hence population flowed in rapidly from the East. The hardy settlers, scattering over the country, made the woods resound with the stroke of the axe; and everywhere the smoke of their cabins was seen ascending from the depths of the forest. The lakes presented a no less animated scene: the white wings of commerce were spread out upon their waters, and the cloud from the distant steamer was seen stretching along the horizon. The reign of Nature in these hitherto silent and secluded solitudes was at an end, and that of man, with all its life, and bustle, and activity, had begun.

In 1831, General Cass, having been appointed secretary of war, was succeeded by Mr. George B. Porter in the government of the territory, the population of which at this time amounted to about thirty-five thousand. During his administration, Wisconsin, which had before been annexed to Michigan, was erected into a separate territory. Meantime the commerce on Lake Erie was rapidly increasing. A road, which was, to say the least, passable at some seasons of the year, was constructed across the Black pg 084Swamp, and numerous avenues were opened into the interior. In consequence of these improvements, the country became better known, a spirit of speculation was awakened, and, in addition to the actual settlers, the woods were traversed by numbers in search of desirable tracts, which they purchased at the Government price, in the expectation of realizing large profits from their rapid increase in value.

The method adopted by the Government in making their surveys is one of great accuracy. Two straight lines were drawn across the territory, the one running north and south, the other east and west. The north and south line was denominated the principal meridian, and the east and west line was called the base line. The territory was then divided into townships six miles square, and these were subdivided into thirty-six sections of a square mile each, the townships being numbered in regular order, commencing at the meridian and base lines and increasing as they receded from them. The mathematical accuracy of this method, and the farther circumstance that each section and township, and also the lines of the sections, were blazed or marked upon the trees, enabled the emigrant, even in the depths of the forest, to find clear landmarks to guide his course and to ascertain the actual boundaries of each tract. The smallest lot which could be purchased was one of eighty acres, or a fractional lot made by a township line or by the course of a stream.

Prior to the year 1820, the established Government price for land was two dollars an acre, one-fourth of which was required to be paid at the time of purchase, and the remainder in three annual instalments, the land being subject to forfeiture if these were not punctually paid, while a discount of eight per cent. was allowed if the whole amount was paid in advance. This system, however, was found to be productive of serious evils. The expectation of gain induced many to make large purchases, and while some realized fortunes, perhaps, from their investments, others, who were less successful, were without the means of paying their instalments, and thus the whole became liable to forfeiture. These results led to a total change of the system. The price of the public lands was reduced from two dollars to one dollar and a quarter the acre, the whole of which was required to be paid down at the time the purchase was made. This was attended with the best effects, preventing a vast deal of trouble and loss to the Government, discouraging reckless speculation, and enabling the industrious settler with moderate means to acquire for himself a clear and unencumbered title to his land.

Meanwhile, a controversy sprang up which came near terminating in serious collision with a neighboring State. By the ordinance of 1787 it was provided that anyone of the grand divisions within the limits of the Northwest Territory should be entitled to admission into the Union whenever its population amounted to sixty thousand; and Michigan having already that number of inhabitants, claimed the right thus granted. The controversy alluded to was in relation to the boundary-line between the latter and Ohio, as established by the ordinance of 1787. Each government claimed a rich and extensive tract as falling within its limits, which was made still more valuable from the proposed terminus of the Wabash and Erie canal, a work of great promise, being included within it. So much excitement, indeed, prevailed that both parties sent a military force to the disputed frontier.

The people of Michigan, having called a convention and formed a State constitution, petitioned Congress to be admitted into the Union, claiming as a part of their territory the tract in dispute with Ohio. Congress, however, decided in favor of the latter State, and assigned to Michigan, in place of pg 085the fertile strip along her southern border, about twenty-five thousand square miles of barren, mountainous country on the shores of Lake Superior.

We here conclude our brief account of Michigan as a territory. We have seen it in the infancy of its settlement, under the blighting effects of feudal institutions similar to those existing in France at that period, being then little more than a mere ranging-ground for the Jesuit missionary and the fur-trader, a waste roamed over by the wild beast and the savage, and designedly kept in this state as a shelter for the fur-bearing animals. We have seen the French banner supplanted by the red cross of England without producing any material change in the condition of the country. And, finally, we have seen the stars and stripes of our own Republic planted on the soil, and witnessed in the extraordinary improvements which have since taken place the wonder-working energies of our free institutions.

HISTORY AS A STATE AND PRESENT CONDITION.

In the foregoing pages the reader has been presented with a picture of Michigan in her youth; it now becomes our duty briefly to consider her attractions and condition as a prosperous matron. From the time when she entered the Union as a State, until she became a distinguished defender of the United States against the assaults of the Great Rebellion, the story of her career is without any peculiar incidents of misfortune or renown. In what manner, and with whose help, she defended the nation in its period of danger, will be fully set forth by another hand, in the succeeding part of this volume, while the present writer will content himself in this and the following chapters with a concise compilation from official documents of the civil affairs of the State down to the present time, together with a glance at some of its later developments.

The act of Congress which finally admitted Michigan into the Union with her constitution of September, 1835, was approved January 26, 1837, and Stevens T. Mason entered at once upon his duties as the first elective governor. Although a Virginian by birth, he had been six years identified with the territory as secretary and acting governor. He was elected governor of the prospective State, however, in October, 1835, and continued in that position until January, 1840. The estimated population of the State in 1837 was about two hundred thousand; and its area was then estimated at forty thousand square miles, which was divided into thirty-six counties. From the very start the genius of her people was exemplified by the enactment of laws, for the building of not less than four railroads, several of which, under new names, were destined to be eminently successful. And then the special attention of her legislators was turned to the cause of education. An act was passed in March of that year for the organization and support of the primary schools, thereby keeping pace with the will of Congress in setting aside for school purposes one thirty-sixth part of the public lands in the State; and, within the same month, the other important act was passed which gave existence to the University of Michigan. It was to be located at Ann Arbor, placed in charge of a board of twelve regents, originally appointed by the governor, but subsequently elected by the people, with the governor, lieutenant-governor, judges of the Supreme Court, and the chancellor of the State, as ex-officio members. It was to have three departments, one of literature, science, and art; the second of law, and the third of medicine. It was to have not more than twenty-six professorships; and its support was to be derived from a grant of seventy sections of land, which the superintendent of public instruction, then in office, valued at nearly pg 086nine hundred and twenty-two thousand dollars. Special attention was also directed to the mineral resources of the State; an appropriation of twenty-nine thousand dollars made for a geological survey; and the appointment of State geologist was conferred upon Dr. Douglass Houghton, who did more than any other man to make known to the world the mineral riches of Michigan. Nor were the pioneer legislators of the new State unmindful of the cause of internal improvement, for they at once passed an act establishing a board of seven commissioners for that purpose, of which the governor was made president, and that board authorized a number of surveys for railroads. For the central route, from Detroit to the mouth of the St. Joseph, they appropriated four hundred thousand dollars; for the southern route, from Monroe to New Buffalo on Lake Michigan, one hundred thousand dollars; for the northern route, from Black to Grand river, fifty thousand dollars; and at the same time legislative acts were also passed incorporating the roads between Detroit and Shiawassee, and Gibraltar and Clinton. The commendable spirit of enterprise thus manifested by the public authorities was seconded by the people at large, as may be seen by glancing at the agricultural statistics published in 1838. The rye crop, for example, amounted to 21,944 bushels; oats, 1,116,910; buckwheat, 64,022; flax, 43,826 pounds; hemp, 524 pounds; neat cattle, 89,610; horses, 14,059; sheep, 22,684; and swine, 109,096. When compared with the present, these figures seem almost insignificant, and yet they told a “flattering tale,” and the absence of any allusion to the great staple of wheat will strike the reader as remarkable. It was also in 1838 that appropriations were made for the survey of the St. Joseph, Kalamazoo, and Grand rivers, with a view to the improvement of their navigation.

In 1839 the militia of the State was regularly organized, and eight divisions, with two brigades of two regiments each, were assigned to the following generals: John R. Williams, George Miles, Charles C. Hascall, John Stockton, Joseph W. Brown, Isaac E. Crary, Edwin M. Bridges, and Horace H. Comstock. Another event of this year was the completion of the Penitentiary at Jackson, which was built on the plan of the famous prison at Auburn, New York: and as to the progress of education throughout the State, the official reports gave the number of nearly thirty thousand pupils in the common schools, and the amount of money expended during the year as more than eighteen thousand dollars. With this year also terminated the administration of Governor Mason, who, besides having had the honor of inaugurating the new State, proved himself to be not only a man of ability, but a faithful friend of Michigan. He had emigrated from Virginia to the Territory in 1831, when he was appointed its secretary, in his nineteenth year, and he only lived about three years after retiring from the office of governor of the State, to which he was twice elected, and which he filled with credit and ability.

The second Governor of the State was William Woodbridge, who served in that capacity from January, 1840, to February, 1841, when he resigned to accept a seat in the United States Senate. His advent to the Territory dated as far back as 1814, when he was appointed to the post of secretary; after which, in 1819, he was elected a delegate to Congress, made a judge of the Supreme Court in 1828, took an active part in the Constitutional Convention of 1835, and was chosen in 1837 to the State Senate. After leaving the executive chair, the then lieutenant-governor, J. Wright Gordon, became the acting governor, and served as such for the balance of the term. In looking over the records, we find the leading events of this joint administration to have been as follows: The railroad from Detroit to Ann Arbor, a pg 087distance of forty miles, was completed; and branches of the State University were established at Detroit, Pontiac, Monroe, Niles, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Jackson, White Pigeon, and Tecumseh. The population of the State had now risen to more than two hundred and twelve thousand, and the leading towns claimed the following numbers, viz: Detroit, nine thousand one hundred and one; Ypsilanti, two thousand four hundred and nineteen; Pontiac, nineteen hundred and four; Marshall, seventeen hundred and sixty-three; and Monroe, seventeen hundred and three. And after what manner the State was progressing in material wealth may be gathered from the subjoined figures. In 1841 the average price of wheat was seventy cents per bushel, and the crop amounted to $2,100,000: corn was sold for thirty cents, and amounted to $810,000; oats twenty cents, and the yield $800,000; hay five dollars per ton, and the amount $750,000; pork was sold for two cents per pound, and the profit was $900,000; the fur-trade amounted to $425,000; the potato crop to 2,051,000 bushels; whiskey and high-wines, $400,000; maple sugar, $83,151; fish trade, $192,000; wool, $70,000; dairies, $300,000; and home-made goods, $100,000. The exports for that year amounted to nearly four millions of dollars; and as the result of the distribution act of Congress the State became possessed of five hundred thousand acres of public land, many portions of which were selected with great care and were to become the foundation of an important revenue. Associated with the administration of Governor Gordon was the reorganization of the Grand Lodge of Freemasons, with the constitutional number of lodges. Of the early introduction of this order into the Territory of Michigan we have no satisfactory data. The Grand Lodge was first organized at Detroit June 24, 1826; was incorporated by the Legislative Council in 1827; and by a formal resolution, adopted in 1829, masonic labor was suspended. A general meeting of the Masons of the State was called for inquiry in 1840, and in 1841 the former grand officers granted dispensations for several lodges. The first grand master under the original organization was General Lewis Cass. The Grand Royal Arch Chapter was organized in 1848; the Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters was organized in 1858; and the Grand Commandery, Knights Templar, was organized January 15, 1857.

In November, 1842, commenced the administration of John S. Barry as Governor of the State, and he continued in that position until November, 1845. He was an emigrant from New England, and had been a resident of Michigan for many years; and the town in which he settled was Constantine, where he occupied a high position. During the first year of his term he had the satisfaction of seeing the university opened for the reception of students, when the charge for tuition was fixed at ninety-four and a half dollars per annum, or three hundred and seventy-eight dollars for the full course of four years. The Central and Southern Railroads were now progressing rapidly, the former having been finished to Marshall, one hundred and ten miles, and the latter to Hillsdale, sixty-eight miles. The private roads from Toledo to Adrian, and twenty-five miles of that from Detroit to Pontiac were also completed. The number of pupils reported as attending the common schools was nearly fifty-eight thousand, and the school tax for the year amounted to fifty-four thousand six hundred and forty dollars. In 1843 a State land office was established at Marshall, which was invested with the charge and disposition of all the lands belonging to the State, and to Digby V. Ball was assigned the duty of conducting the affairs of the office. In 1844 the taxable property of the State was found to be $28,554,282, the tax being at the rate of two mills on the dollar; the expenses of the State amounted to seventy thousand dollars; the income from the two railroads pg 088was about three hundred thousand dollars; the University had now become so prosperous that its income was ample to pay the interest on the University stock; and the amount of money which the State was able to loan to the several progressing railroads was one hundred and twenty thousand dollars. Renewed efforts were now made to increase the efficiency of the common schools, and those who were acquainted with them were beginning to see that the schools of Michigan would be but little behind those of the Eastern States. In 1845 the population of the State had nearly reached three hundred and five thousand, which was a gain in five years of not less than ninety-two thousand; and in his message to the Legislature Governor Barry stated that the indebtedness of the State amounted to $4,077,177, while its resources reached $4,150,000.

The successor of Governor Barry was Alpheus Felch, who took the executive chair in November, 1845, and continued in it until March 3d, 1847, when he resigned to accept a seat in the United States Senate. He emigrated from Maine to Michigan when quite young, and as early as 1836 became identified with public affairs, first as a member of the Legislature, then as a bank commissioner, as auditor-general of Michigan, and also as a judge of the Supreme Court. The leading incidents of his administration was the sale to private corporations of the two railroads belonging to the State, the Central having brought two millions of dollars and the Southern road five hundred thousand dollars. It was in 1846 that the University library was enriched with a choice collection of about five thousand volumes purchased in Europe; the exports for that year amounted to $4,647,608; the tonnage of vessels enrolled in the collection district of Detroit was 26,928 tons; the steam-vessels numbering 8,400 and the sailing vessels 18,527, the whole of them giving employment to eighteen thousand seamen. In 1847 the counties in the State numbered thirty-nine, and the townships four hundred and thirty-five, of which two hundred and seventy were supplied with good libraries, containing in the aggregate thirty-seven thousand volumes. Indeed the common schools seem to have prospered beyond all expectations, for now the scholars numbered about ninety-eight thousand pupils, and in the 2,869 districts were employed twelve hundred male teachers and nearly two thousand female teachers. During the unexpired nine months of Governor Felch’s term, the Lieutenant-Governor, William L. Greenley, performed the duties of governor. It was while this administration existed that the war with Mexico was commenced and terminated; and in answer to the requisition from the War Department Michigan furnished to the cause one regiment of volunteers, commanded by Thomas W. Stockton, and one independent company, at a cost of about ten thousand five hundred dollars. The people were willing to volunteer, but owing to the imperfection of the militia laws the troops were obtained with some difficulty.

In November, 1847, Epaphroditus Ransom became the Governor of Michigan, and served out his term of two years to November, 1849. He was a New England man, and had served in the Michigan Legislature. It was his privilege to sign the bills for establishing the Asylum for the Insane at Flint, and also the Asylum for the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind at Kalamazoo, both of which institutions were liberally endowed with lands, and each of them placed in charge of a board of five trustees. The appropriation in 1869 for the deaf and dumb and blind amounted to $81,500. On the first of March, 1848, the first telegraph line was completed from New York to Detroit, and the first despatch transmitted on that day.

With regard to the agricultural interests of the State, their progress was quite unprecedented; and for the benefit of comparison with previous as pg 089well as subsequent years we submit the following figures bearing upon 1849. The land reported to be under cultivation at that time amounted to 1,437,460 acres, and of wheat there were produced 4,739,300 bushels; other grains 8,179,767 bushels; wool, 1,645,756 pounds; maple sugar, 1,774,369 pounds; horses, 52,305; neat cattle, 210,268; swine, 152,541; sheep, 610,534; and while the flour mills numbered two hundred and twenty-eight, the lumber mills amounted to seven hundred and thirty. In 1847 the act was passed removing the seat of government from Detroit to Lansing, and temporary buildings for the use of the Legislature were at once erected at a cost of $12,450.

In November, 1849, John S. Barry was again and for a third term called upon to take charge of the State as its governor. He continued in office until November, 1851. Among the first acts of the Legislature to which he appended his name was one for the establishment at Ypsilanti of a Normal school, which was endowed with lands and placed in charge of a board of education consisting of six persons. But the two great events which transpired during his administration were, first, the removal of the seat of government from Detroit to Lansing, and, secondly, the adoption of the present Constitution of the State, an authentic copy of which will be found at the conclusion of this volume. As late as 1846 the site of the new capital was occupied by only one log-cabin, and it derived its name from one of its earliest settlers. It is located on Grand river, in Ingham county, was organized as a city in 1859, and, in addition to an important water privilege, it enjoys the advantages of a rich agricultural country which surrounds it on every side. Another event of importance which transpired during the administration of Governor Barry was that known as the “Great Railroad Company Case.” A series of lawless acts had been committed on the property of the Michigan Central Railroad Company along the line of their road and especially at Leoni and Michigan Centre, in Jackson county; and, finally, their depot in Detroit was burnt in 1850 by an infernal machine. Thirty-seven men were brought to trial in 1851, and of these twelve were convicted. The conspirators were defended by William H. Seward, of New York, and the prosecution was conducted by Alexander D. Fraser, of Detroit, and the judge who presided on this occasion with great ability was Warner Wing.

In view of the fact that the commercial advantages of Michigan are quite peculiar, and unequalled by any other of the interior States of the Union, we may, with propriety, at this point, take a glance at her immediate surroundings. The five great lakes with which she is so closely connected drain an area of 335,515 square miles, and the navigable waters extending from Lake Erie downward will admit the passage of vessels not exceeding 130 feet keel, 26 feet beam, and 10 feet draught. The total traffic of these great waters in 1851 was estimated at 326,000,000, employing 74,000 tons of steam and 138,000 tons of sail. In 1839 the twenty-five largest steamers on these lakes had an average of 449 tons burthen, while the average of those which flourished in 1851 was about 1000 tons. In the former year, the first-class steamers took ten days to make the round trip from Buffalo to Detroit, but in the latter year the swiftest steamers only required three days to perform the same trip. The total number of steamers on Lakes Erie and Michigan and the straits was 140, and the numbers belonging to the districts of Detroit 47, Mackinaw 12, and Chicago 4. And in this connection, the fact is worth stating that during the nine years preceding 1851 the steamboat tonnage of the Mississippi valley had only doubled, but that during the same period the tonnage of the great lakes more than quadrupled pg 090itself, whereby we obtain an idea of the remarkable increase of the lake country, in population, production and trade.

In November, 1851, Robert McClelland became the governor of the State and his administration lasted until March, 1853, when he resigned to accept a seat in the Cabinet of President Pierce as Secretary of the Interior. He had become a citizen of Michigan as far back as 1833, and had served not only in the State legislature, but also as a Representative in Congress. On his retirement, the lieutenant-governor, Andrew Parsons, became the acting governor, and continued to act until the close of the term in November, 1854. Perhaps the most significant fact connected with that year was, that the pupils throughout the State who attended the common schools, were not less than one hundred and seventy-five thousand, an increase in four years of forty-three thousand. Such victories of peace are what Michigan has always prided herself upon, and are in perfect harmony with the victories of war, in behalf of the Union, upon which she justly prided herself ten years afterwards.

From November, 1854, to November, 1858, the executive chair was filled by Kinsley S. Bingham. He emigrated to Michigan in 1833, and, prior to his election as governor, he had served with honor both in the State legislature and as a Representative in Congress. All the material interests of the State progressed with rapidity during his administration, but the most notable event of his first official term was the completion of the Ship Canal at the falls of St. Mary. In 1852, August 26, an act of Congress was approved granting to the State of Michigan seven hundred and fifty thousand acres of land, for the purpose of constructing a Ship Canal between Lakes Huron and Superior. In 1853, February 5, the legislature of Michigan accepted the grant made by Congress, and provided for the appointment of commissioners to select the donated lands, and to arrange for building the canal. A company of enterprising men was formed, and a contract was entered into, by which it was agreed that the canal should be finished in two years, and the work proceeded. Every article of consumption, machinery, working implements and materials, timber for the gates, stone for the locks, as well as men and supplies, had to be transported to the site of the canal from Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago, and other lake ports; the stone for finishing the locks having been brought from Marblehead near Sandusky City, Ohio, and from the Detroit river. The rapids or Saute which had to be surmounted have a fall of seventeen feet and are about a mile long. The length of the canal is less than one mile, its width one hundred feet, depth twelve feet, and it has two locks of solid masonry. The contracting parties had many drawbacks to contend with in their operations, a sickly season having been one of them, but they persevered, and in May, 1855, the work was completed, accepted by the commissioners and formally delivered to the State authorities. The disbursements on account of constructing the canal and selecting the lands, amounted to $999,802, while the lands which were assigned to the company and selected through the agency at Saute Ste. Marie, as well as certain fine lands in the upper and lower peninsula, filled up to an acre the full measure of the Government grant. In consideration of its national character, as a highway between the lower lakes and Lake Superior, and in view of the sound character of the work, the originators and builders of this canal deserve the gratitude of the country. With regard to the laws of Michigan, it should be mentioned here that in 1857 two volumes containing all the statutes down to date were compiled by Thomas M. Cooley, and published in two volumes at Lansing under the authority of the State legislature.

The successor of Governor Bingham was Moses Wisner, and his term pg 091extended from November, 1858, to November, 1860. He emigrated from New York to Michigan in 1839; was a lawyer by profession, and a true patriotic citizen of the State. Soon after his retirement, the mutterings of the Great Rebellion began to be heard, and he, together with his two successors, Austin Blair and Henry H. Crapo, each of whom was twice elected, were so identified with the military operations of the State during the war, that we shall leave their services to be considered by our colleague in the second part of this volume; while our own biographical notices of all the territorial and State governors of Michigan will be reserved for the concluding part of the volume. In the meantime, however, we may in this place introduce with propriety the names of the several governors and administrators, under whose jurisdiction Michigan has been placed since the erection of the royal government, more than two hundred years ago. Under French rule they were Sieur de Mesy, appointed in 1663; Sieur de Courcelle, 1665; Sieur de Frontenac, 1672; Sieur de Barre, 1682; Sieur Marquis de Nouville, 1685; Sieur de Frontenac, 1689; Sieur Chevalier de Callieres, 1699; Marquis de Vaudreuil, 1703; Marquis de Beauharnais, 1726; Sieur Compte de la Gallisoniere, 1749; Sieur de la Jonquiere, 1749; Marquis du Quesne de Menneville, 1752; and Sieur de Vaudreuil de Cavagnal, 1755. Under English rule the governors were James Murray, 1765; Paulus Emelins Irving, 1766; Guy Carleton, 1766; Hector T. Cramahe, 1770; Guy Carleton, 1774; Frederic Haldimand, 1774; Henry Hamilton, 1774; Henry Hope, 1775; Lord Dorchester, 1776; Alured Clarke, 1791; and Lord Dorchester, 1798. The American governors, by appointment and election, have been William Hull, 1805; Lewis Cass, 1814; George B. Porter, 1832; Stevens T. Mason, 1834; John S. Horner, 1835; Stevens T. Mason, 1836; William Woodbridge, 1840; J. Wright Gordon, 1841; John S. Barry, 1842; Alpheus Felch, 1845; Epaphroditus Ransom, 1847; John S. Barry, 1849; Robert McClellan, 1851; Andrew Parsons, 1853; Kinsley S. Bingham, 1854; Moses Wisner, 1858; Austin Blair, 1861; Henry H. Crapo, 1865; and Henry P. Baldwin, 1869. And for purposes of reference, we also insert at this point the progress of population for the half-century preceding the year 1860; as follows:—Population in 1810, 4,762; 1820, 8,765; 1830, 31,639; 1840, 212,267; 1850, 397,654; and 1860,749,113. At our present writing the result of the current census, for 1870, is not officially known; but should the last decade be equal to that which preceded it, the population of Michigan might be set down at about fourteen hundred thousand.

Having thus taken a brief chronological view of the leading events in the history of Michigan as a State, we now propose to lay before the reader a more comprehensive account of her condition at the close of Governor Crapo’s administration, with some particulars of a later date, and what we propose to submit shall be arranged under the several heads of Education, Agriculture, Mineral Wealth, Railroads, Lumbering Interest, Fisheries, Commerce, The Indians and Antiquities of the State, and Recent Developments.

EDUCATION.

Among the very first laws enacted by the Legislature of Michigan after its organization as a State was one for the establishment of the State University, founded on the act of Congress of 1826, which appropriated two entire townships of wild land for the special purpose. That action on the part of its original legislators, suggested by a clause in the constitution pg 092enjoining upon the legislature the “encouragement of learning and the general diffusion of knowledge among the people,” was highly creditable to their intelligence, and was the key-note to the subsequent prosperity of the State. A prime mover in this enterprise was the Rev. John D. Pierce, the first superintendent of public instruction; and among the professors first chosen were Asa Gray and Douglass Houghton, the first as professor of botany and zoology, and the second of geology and mineralogy. By careful and judicious management the University has progressed so rapidly that it is now awarded a prominent place among American institutions, and in foreign countries the mother State is more widely known through the fame of her University than through any other means. In July, 1868, Mr. Pierce read a paper before the association of county superintendents, at Marshall, in which he recounted the interesting history of the University, and from which we make the following extract:

“It was reserved to Michigan to rear up, within thirty years from its inception and the location of its site, an institution rivaling, not only Yale and Harvard, but outstripping them both. This now is universally acknowledged. Men from the oldest institutions in the United States concede the great fact. The best authorities say that the University of Michigan is a marvel. Thirty years ago the land—the forty acres that it now occupies—was an unfurrowed plain, whose soil the plough had never chafed, never disturbed—where, but as yesterday, the deer roamed free as air, the wolf howled, and the Indian pitched for the night and kindled his camp-fires. You will find in all the history of the past nothing to compare with it in the rapidity of its development and growth.”

It was not until 1850 that the University had any recognized head. In 1842 it had four professors; in 1850 the medical department was organized; in 1859 the law department; and in 1860 the professorships numbered twenty-eight and the students six hundred. The total disbursements from 1837 to 1851 amounted to $286,928; but since that time the receipts and expenditures have greatly increased. For five years preceding 1868 the number of students averaged more than one thousand, and in the latter year the receipts amounted to $62,772.82, derived from the following sources; interest from the University fund, $37,086.22, and from students’ fees, $25,686. The buildings in which it is domiciled are the chief attraction of the beautiful city of Ann Arbor, are handsome and imposing, commandingly situated and surrounded by tastefully laid out grounds, bordered with beautiful shade trees. In its organization, the university conforms to the Prussian system which is regarded as the most perfect in the world. According to the thirtieth report of the board of regents, the names of the professors, instructors, and other officers of the institution were at that time as follows, the first chancellor or president, elected in 1852, having been Dr. Henry Tappan:

Rev. Erastus O. Haven, D.D., LL.D., President of the University, and Professor of Logic and Political Economy; salary $2,000.

Rev. George P. Williams, LL.D., Professor of Physics; salary $1,500.

Abram Sager, M.A., M.D., Professor of Obstetrics and Diseases of Women and Children; salary $1,000.

Silas H. Douglass, M.A., M.D., Professor of Chemistry and Mineralogy, Pharmacy and Toxicology; salary $1,500.

James R. Boise, LL.D., Professor of the Greek Language and Literature; salary $1,500.

Alonzo B. Palmer, M.A., M.D., Professor of Pathology, the Practice of Medicine, and of Hygiene; salary $1,500.

Alexander Winchell, LL.D., Professor of Geology, Zoology, and Botany; pg 093salary $1,500.

Corydon L. Ford, M.A., M.D., Professor of Anatomy and Physiology; salary $1,000.

Henry S. Frieze, M.A., Professor of the Latin Language and Literature; salary $1,500.

De Volson Wood, C. E. M. A., Professor of Civil Engineering; salary $1,500.

Hon. James V. Campbell, LL.D., Marshal Professor of Law; salary $1,000.

Hon. Charles I. Walker, Kent Professor of Law; salary $1,000.

Hon. Thomas M. Cooley, Jay Professor of Law; salary $1,000.

James C. Watson, M.A., Professor of Astronomy and Director of the Observatory; salary $1,500.

Samuel G. Armor, M.A., M.D., Professor of Institutes of Medicine and Materia Medica; salary $1,000.

Edward P. Evans, Ph. D., Professor of Modern Languages and Literature; salary $1,500.

Rev. Lucius D. Chapin, M.A., Professor of Moral and Intellectual Philosophy; salary $1,500.

Edward Olney, M.A., Professor of Mathematics; salary $1,500.

Rev. Andrew Ten Brook, M.A., Librarian; salary $1,500.

Ashley Pond, M.A., Fletcher Professor of Law; salary $1,000.

William W. Greene, M.D., Professor of Civil and Military Surgery; salary $1,000.

Adam K. Spence, M.A., Professor of the French Language and Literature; salary $1,500.

Charles K. Adams, M.A., Professor of History; salary $1,500.

Moses C. Tyler, M.A., Professor of Rhetoric and English Literature; salary $1,500.

Allen J. Curtis, M.A., Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and English Literature; salary $1,500.

Albert B. Prescott, M.D., Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Lecturer on Organic Chemistry and Metallurgy; salary $1,000.

George B. Merriman, M.A., Assistant Professor of Mathematics; salary $1,000.

Stillman W. Robinson, C. E., Assistant Professor of Mining, Engineering, and Geodery; salary $1,000.

Martin L. D’Ooge, M.A., Assistant Professor of the Ancient Languages; salary $1,000.

Henry S. Cheever, M.A., M.D., Demonstrator of Anatomy and Curator of the Medical Museum; salary $500.

Geo. E. Frothingham, M.D., Prosector of Surgery and Assistant Demonstrator of Anatomy; salary $500.

John H. Burleson, Secretary and Stewart; salary $1,000.

Hon. D. McIntyre, Treasurer; ——.

Preston B. Rose, M.D., Assistant in Chemistry; salary $300.

Albert E. Foote, M.D., Assistant in Chemistry; salary $250.

William J. Cocker, Assistant in General Library; salary $400.

Silas H. Douglass, M.A., M.D., Dean and Secretary of Medical Faculty; salary $200.

William C. Durkee, LL.B., Law Librarian; salary $110.

W. J. English, Keeper of the Museum; salary $150.

John Carrington, Janitor; salary $400.

Gregory Naglee, Janitor; salary $400.

James Ottley, Janitor; salary $400.

Robert Howard, Janitor; salary $400.

Although some changes have taken place in this list it is given in full for future reference.

The whole number of professors in 1869 was thirty-six and the students in attendance during that year numbered twelve hundred and twenty-three, of whom 418 were in the department of science, literature, and arts; 418 in the department of medicine and surgery, and 387 in the department of law. The total number of graduates was three hundred and five, a larger number than were ever before graduated; of whom eighty were doctors of medicine, one hundred and fifty-two bachelors of law, and seventeen mining and civil engineers. The receipts from various sources for the year amounted to about seventy-seven thousand dollars, the whole of which was expended. The University, in view of its vital and intimate connection with the general school system of the State, has aimed to lay a foundation sufficiently broad to satisfy all just demands. It has laid out the work of the department of science, literature, and arts in six parallel courses of study, not taking any other American or foreign college for its model, but endeavoring to meet the exact and just demands of the school system of the State. By an act of the Legislature, passed in 1855, it was provided that there shall always be at least one professor of homœopathy in the University, and yet the board of regents from that time to 1868, notwithstanding the numerous changes in its membership, had never appointed a professor with that title. In 1867 the Legislature granted further aid to the University on condition that the law should be executed; and with this law before them the regents determined to appoint such a professor, but made it incumbent upon him to lecture in some place outside of Ann Arbor. It was thought this would be a compliance with the law, and prevent any unhappy conflicts in the regular medical school. The Supreme Court of the State decided against this action, and so the gift of the Legislature was not available. At this point of the controversy the President of the University, E. O. Haven, discussed the question at issue in a calm and judicious manner, taking the ground that no partisan professorships of any kind or name should be established, and, after making an earnest appeal to the Legislature to reverse their action, concluded by saying that the Regents ought to respect the will of the people, and must in the end accept the aid tendered by the State on the conditions insisted upon. Another subject of vital interest to the cause of education, which has created a diversity of opinion in Michigan, is the admission of women to the University. In 1867 the Legislature adopted a resolution to the effect that the high objects for which the University was organized will never be fully attained until women are admitted to all its rights and privileges. The President then in office noticed this subject in his annual report, and set forth his objections to the demand made, and recommended that no change at that time should be made in the policy of the University; but the President subsequently gave it as his opinion that the best method for Michigan would be to make provision for the instruction of women at the University on the same conditions as men. He came to this conclusion slowly. “A few objections,” he argued, “have sometimes seemed to me strong, but the most of what is urged against it is fanciful and partakes of the nature of the thoughtless opposition made to what is new. The standard of education would not be changed. The habits of study would not be affected. The honor of the University would rather be increased than diminished. It does not injure the young men of the Sorbonne in Paris that ladies also can pg 095listen to the lectures. The demand that women would enjoy the same advantages as men grows out of Christian civilization, and if difficulties arise we must not shrink from them, but overcome them. Responsibility makes strength.” But, notwithstanding the President’s argument and the existing law, the question is still in abeyance.

With regard to the museum attached to the University, all are agreed in pronouncing it interesting and valuable. The natural history collection embraces six thousand European minerals, purchased of the late Baron Ledever; a large collection of minerals from Lake Superior, the fruit of geological surveys and expeditions, and of the liberality of Professors Houghton and Winchell; also a very large zoological collection, consisting of birds which visit Michigan, with most of the mammals of the State; nearly a complete series of the reptiles found east of the Rocky Mountains; two thousand species of molusca, embracing all the land and fresh-water forms of the Northern and Western States; a considerable collection of fishes and radiata; the Winchell collection of land and fresh-water shells, from all parts of the State and from Jamaica; two thousand specimens of insects; the Trowbridge collection of animals from the Pacific coast; and more than two thousand species illustrative of the flora of the State. To all of which collections important additions are annually made.

That part of the museum connected with the medical department has been selected and prepared with direct reference to teaching. Besides containing a number of adult skeletons, articulated and separate, of the most perfect description, there are preparations illustrating the various stages of development and change, from the first rudiments of fœtal life to extreme old age; and a variety of partial or complete skeletons of inferior animals, to exhibit the various modifications. It contains, likewise, beautifully prepared skulls and teeth, to illustrate first and second dentition, and others showing many of the diseases to which they are subject. Various arterial preparations, complete and partial, afford good facilities for studying the vascular system. Several hundred alcoholic preparations of healthy and diseased structures—human and comparative—furnish important aid in illustrating physiology and pathology; while models in plaster and papier-mache, with a valuable collection of plates, splints, and surgical instruments, meet the wants of the more practical branches. An important addition to these means of illustration has recently been made by an importation from Europe, of great beauty and value; among which are a collection of bones of the head, disarticulated and mounted, and an extended collection of wax models, illustrative of various anatomical and pathological conditions, including representations of the anatomy of the pelvis and its contents, of several varieties of hernia, of specimens of small-pox and the vaccine disease, and of a large number of cases in ophthalmic surgery, etc. The department of the museum illustrative of materia medica consists of a very complete suite of crude organic medicinal substances, embracing between five and six hundred specimens imported from Paris, put up in beautiful glass-covered half-gallon jars of uniform appearance, finely displayed, arranged according to their order in natural history, and labeled in both French and English; besides about one thousand other specimens of simple mineral and vegetable substances and pharmaceutical and officinal preparations, active principles, etc., arranged in groups convenient for study; and altogether comprising a collection which, in amount, variety, and adaptness to the purposes of instruction, it is confidently believed is not equaled by any of a similar character even in the older institutions in this country. Besides these actual specimens, medical botany is illustrated by between one and two pg 096hundred large and finely-colored plates, framed and glazed, and displayed for observation. A full suite of instruments used in diseases of females is deposited in the museum, illustrating the surgical processes required in this class of cases; and the magnificent portraits of cutaneous diseases, by Dr. Erasmus Wilson, and the no less useful collection by Dr. Robert Willis, illustrate very fully this department of Pathology.

The collection in that part of the museum devoted to the fine arts and history was commenced in the year 1855 by Professor Frieze, and at present comprises—1. A gallery of casts, in full size and in reduction, of the most valuable ancient statues and busts. These were mainly executed at the imperial modeling establishment of the Louvre, by Desachy, of Paris, and by the brothers Micheli, of Berlin. 2. A gallery of more than two hundred reductions and models, in terra cotta, and other materials. These represent the principal statues, portrait busts, vases, and other antiquities in the Museo Borbonico, and other European museums. They were executed at Naples. 3. A gallery of engravings and photographic views, executed in Italy and Greece, illustrating especially the architectural and sculptural remains of ancient Rome, Pompeii, Paestum, Athens, and Corinth. 4. The Horace White collection of historical medallions, comprising, first, four hundred and fifty casts from antique gems in the Royal Museum at Berlin, illustrative of ancient history; second, over five hundred casts illustrative of mediæval history and of the Renaissance period; third, about four hundred medallion portraits of leading personages in modern history. These portraits were derived from authentic sources, and reduced with fidelity, and the whole were cast by Eichler, of Berlin. Not included with the above are several busts and reliefs, copied from Thorwaldsen, Canova, Powers, and others, and also a copy of the Laocoon, presented by the class of 1859.

From the foregoing particulars it will be seen that the University meets the wants of the people in all the higher degrees of education. Having been endowed by the General Government, it now affords education almost without money and without price. There is no young man so poor that industry, diligence, and perseverance will not enable him to obtain an education. While the sons of the rich are educated here, a considerable number of those who are not rich are enjoying the same advantages. Many young men, accustomed to work on the farm, or in the shop of the mechanic, have been smitten with the love of knowledge, and are manfully working their way through a liberal education, by appropriating a part of their time to the field or the workshop; and thus it is that the institution is proving itself a blessing to the people at large. The expenditures in its behalf for 1869 have already been stated. We may also add that there is connected with this University a well-conducted observatory; and that in 1868, during the months of July, August, September, and October, Professor James C. Watson discovered six new asteroids, which is the largest number ever discovered by one man in the same period of time. Besides its noble University, it is to the credit of Michigan that she is the supporting mother by her influence of not less than seven or eight distinct colleges, as well as a Normal school, a Reform school, and her Common schools, which we will now proceed to describe:

The first to be mentioned is Adrian College, located in the town whose name it bears. It was incorporated March 23, 1859, and its first term for instruction commenced December 1, 1859. It was formerly under the immediate patronage and direction of the Wesleyan Methodist denomination, but was transferred to the Methodist Church in 1867, and is based pg 097upon a liberal policy, and embraces in its board of trustees, which is self-perpetuating, and in its faculty, members chosen for their educational interest and power, from other religious denominations. Its departments of instruction are open to both sexes, and include thorough classical and scientific courses, to which there is joined instruction in commercial studies and the arts of teaching, painting, and music. Its buildings, numbering four, three stories high, are all handsome and spacious, and have been erected and furnished at a cost of not less than two hundred thousand dollars. It also has an endowment fund of one hundred thousand dollars; and it is the only college formally recognized by the General Conference of the Methodist Church in the United States. Its faculty in 1868 was as follows:

Rev. A. Mahan, D.D., President, and Professor of Mental and Moral Science.

Rev. G. B. McElroy, A.M., Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy.

Rev. I. W. McKeever, A.M., Professor of Natural Philosophy and Natural History.

A. H. Lowrie, A.M., Professor of History and Political Economy, and Principal of the Preparatory Department.

I. W. Cassell, A.B., Professor of the Latin and Greek Languages.

(Unfilled,) Professor of Chemistry and Geology.

Miss Ada A. Alvord, A.B., Principal of the Ladies’ Department.

J. M. Thompson, Professor of Vocal and Instrumental Music.

Miss Sallie E. Rose, Assistant Teacher of Music.

Miss Alice Van Slyke, Teacher of Painting.

Augustus F. Bruske, Teacher of German.

In the village of Albion is located another college belonging to the Methodist Episcopal denomination. In 1835 this institute was located at Spring Arbor, under the name of the Wesleyan Seminary; but in April, 1839, it was removed to Albion, and in the following year a collegiate department was added for women, with the power of conferring degrees upon such persons pursuing a scientific and classical course of instruction. In 1860 the institution was incorporated, with full college powers, and adopted a higher grade of studies. The institution is under the patronage of the Michigan and Detroit Annual Conferences of the Methodist Episcopal Church. They elect the board of trustees. The officers of the Board are: James W. Sheldon, Esq., Albion, President; Rev. William H. Brockway, Albion, First Vice President; S. W. Walker, Esq., Detroit, Second Vice President; George B. Joycelyn, Albion, Secretary; Rev. A. M. Fitch, Albion, Treasurer; and Rev. M. A. Dougherty, Financial Agent.

The board of instruction is as follows:

George B. Joycelyn, President, and Professor of Mental and Moral Science.

Rev. W. H. Perrine, A.M., Professor of Natural Science and Fine Arts.

William H. Shelley, A.M., Professor of Latin Language and Literature.

Rev. John McEldowney, A.M., D.D., Professor of Greek Language and Literature.

Miss Rachel Carney, M.S., Preceptress, and Professor of Modern Languages.

Miss Sallie A. Rullison, B.S., Professor of Mathematics.

Miss Kate A. Joycelyn, Teacher of Instrumental Music.

Henry C. Northrup, Teacher of Phonography.

Fay C. Pierson and William Harper, Assistant Teachers in Preparatory pg 098Department.

Mrs. Maria H. Cushman, Stewardess.

The endowment fund amounts to ninety thousand dollars; the number of pupils for 1868 was three hundred and fifty; but the buildings, which are handsome, will accommodate five hundred pupils.

The next institution that we notice is Kalamazoo College. It embraces several departments, each, to a considerable extent, distinct from the others, and is, properly speaking, a university. It embraces a college proper, designed to furnish instruction to young men in a four years’ course of study similar to that adopted in the best institutions of other States. It also embraces a female department, with a four years’ course, including all the higher branches usually taught in colleges of this class. Also a preparatory department, open to the youth of both sexes who wish to fit themselves for a college course, or to pursue English or classical studies to only a limited extent. A commercial department, with a thorough, practical, and comprehensive course of study, designed to fit the student for any situation of commercial or business life. Lastly, there is a normal department where students are instructed by the regular college professors and teachers provided for that purpose, in the theory and practice of the profession.

This college was chartered in 1833, and is consequently the oldest literary institution in the State. The first building erected was burned in 1844. The present main building—male department—situated on “Mt. Carmel,” in the western part of the village, was erected in 1848, and is 104 by 46 feet, and four stories high. The Ladies’ College, a beautiful architectural structure, situated on South street, was erected in 1858, and is truly an ornament to the State. The location of the Kalamazoo College leaves nothing to be desired, it being in one of the healthiest and most beautiful situations in the country.

The members of the faculty in 1868 were as follows:

Kendall Brooks, D.D., President and Professor of Mathematics.

Silas Bailey, D.D., Professor of Moral and Intellectual Philosophy.

H. L. Wayland, A.M., Professor of Rhetoric and Logic, and Instructor in Greek.

J. A. Clark, A.M., Professor of Latin.

Miss H. P. Dodge, Principal of the Female College, and Professor of English Literature.

Mrs. Martha L. Osborne, Professor of Modern Languages.

Miss M. H. Blakeslee, Instructor in Music.

Miss E. D. Wood, Instructor in Drawing and Painting.

With regard to the institution called Olivet College, and located in that village, we gather from official sources the following particulars: This college is under the fostering care of the Presbyterians and Congregationalists, and its resources amount to one hundred and eighty-two thousand dollars. The faculty in 1868 was as follows:

Rev. Nathan J. Morrison, D.D., President, and Drury Professor of Moral Philosophy.

Rev. Oramel Hosford, A.M., Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy.

Rev. John M. Barrows, A.M., Professor of Botany and Geology.

R. C. Kedzie, A.M., M.D., Lecturer on Chemistry and Anatomy.

John H. Hewitt, A.M., Rutan Professor of the Latin Language and Literature.

Joseph L. Daniels, A.M., Professor of the Greek Language and Literature.

Alexander B. Brown, A.B., Professor of Vocal and Instrumental Music.

Rev. H. O. Ladd, A.M., Instructor in Rhetoric and Mental Science.

Merritt Moore, Principal of the Preparatory Department and Instructor in Mathematics.

Edward S. Elmer, A.B., Instructor in the Ancient Languages.

Miss Henrietta P. Dennis, Principal of the Ladies’ Department and Instructor in French.

(Unfilled), Instructor in drawing and Painting.

Miss Anna M. Bennedict, Assistant Teacher in the Preparatory Department.

Miss L. A. Willard, Assistant Teacher of the Piano.

Another flourishing and important institution is favorably known as the Michigan Female College. It was founded at Lansing in 1855, and its object was to provide for the education of the daughters of the State, although by a late report we learn that a thousand pupils have been received from nine other States. The courses of study are both classical and scientific. But an institution of greater importance and reputation, also located in the vicinity of Lansing, is the State Agricultural College. It is located on Cedar river; and although the act creating it was passed in 1855 it was not organized until 1857; and it is the first institution of the kind which has ever succeeded in this country. The tract of land which it occupies was purchased by the State Agricultural Society, (whose annual reports are valuable and interesting,) and contains six hundred and seventy-seven acres of choice land. Its object is to give to students a thorough practical and theoretical education, to fit them for the occupation of farming. It is well supplied with all the appliances for such an institution, and its herbarium is one of the largest in this country, numbering more than twenty thousand specimens. Students residing in Michigan are admitted free, while those from other States are charged only twenty dollars per annum for instruction. The students are obliged to perform farm labor three hours every day, and are paid for their earnings. It has been endowed by the General Government with a gift of public lands, which have been placed in the market for the benefit of the college; and in 1857 the faculty was: President and Director of the Farm, Joseph R. Williams; Professor of Mathematics, Calvin Tracy; Professor of Chemistry, Lewis R. Fisk; Professor of Physiology and Entomology, Henry Goadby; Professor of Natural Science, D. P. Mayhew; Professor of Farm Economy and Secretary, Robert D. Weeks; and Professor of Horticulture and Treasurer, John C. Holmes.

We now come to speak of Hillsdale College, which is located in the beautiful town whose name it bears, and which is under the jurisdiction of the Free-will Baptist Church. Its buildings are spacious and handsome, and the institution is quite celebrated. Its faculty is as follows:

Rev. Edmund B. Fairfield, D.D., LL.D., President.

Rev. Ransom Dunn, A.M., Burr Professor of Biblical Theology.

Rev. Henry E. Whipple, A.M., Professor of Rhetoric and Belles Letters.

Spencer J. Fowler, A.M., Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy.

George McMillan, A.M., Professor of the Greek and Latin Languages.

Hiram Collier, A.M., Professor of Natural Science.

Cyrus Jordan, A.M., Assistant Professor of the Languages.

Mrs. Julia M. Jordan, Principal of the Ladies’ Department.

Miss Ellen Smith, A.B., Assistant Principal.

Eugene Haanel, A.M., Teacher of French and German.

From colleges to schools the transition is natural, and our first notice in pg 100this connection shall be of the State Normal School at Ypsilanti. The act creating this institution was passed in 1849, and appropriated for its support twenty-five sections of salt spring lands. It was commenced in 1852, boasts of a large and handsome edifice, and is intended to prepare teachers of both sexes; and, according to the last report of its principal, the school has gained much in the last two years from the co-operation of the county superintendents of common schools, who are credited with having done much for the cause of education. It is conducted at an annual expense generally speaking of about ten thousand dollars, but the outlay for 1869 was $18,500. More extensive than the above is the State Reform School, established at Lansing in 1856. It is designed to afford to homeless boys an opportunity to escape from the career of crime, which would otherwise await them, in such a manner that they may be enabled to gain an honest livelihood. It occupies a beautiful building which overlooks the Grand river at Lansing. The inmates are chiefly employed in farming and gardening, but a portion of them work at various trades, and all the branches of the common school are systematically taught. There is a chapel attached to the school, and everything is done to reform and elevate its inmates. The cost of carrying on the institution amounts to between forty and fifty thousand dollars per annum, although the expenditures for 1869 amounted to $56,025.

We come now to a brief consideration of the educational work accomplished by the public schools of Michigan, and the exhibit made by the Superintendent of Public Instruction in his annual report for 1868 reflects the highest credit upon all who have participated in the important work. The total number of school districts is 4,843, and these are located in 778 towns and cities and in all of the fifty-nine organized counties of the State. The number of children attending school was 249,920; male teachers, 2,086; female teachers, 7,522; school-houses, 4,694; and their value, $4,285,627. The two classes of teachers received respectively $47.78 and $21.92 per month, and the total amount paid to them for the year 1868 was $1,038,131; the total expenditures on account of the schools amounting to $2,449,356. The number of books in the district libraries was 86,901 and in the town libraries 45,322. For over thirty years, writes the worthy Superintendent of Public Instruction, Rev. Oramel Horsford, the cause of education in Michigan has been constantly onward. In 1837—thirty-one years ago—the venerable John D. Pierce, first Superintendent of Public Instruction, and still an active worker in the cause, reported 14,297 children between five and seventeen years of age in the State. Now we report, between five and twenty years, 354,704. He then reported $21,375.91 expended for school purposes. In 1868 the aggregate exceeds two millions. The University fund was then about one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Now it is $559,978. The University reports 1,223 students; the normal school, 262; and the local colleges nearly two thousand. The total expenditures for education in the State during the past year can be hardly less than three millions.

But we must not, in this connection, forget to mention the purely benevolent institutions of the State, and first the Michigan Asylum for the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind, located in Flint. This institution began operations in 1854, and has a large number of inmates. To teach the deaf to hear, the dumb to speak, and the blind to see, would have been deemed a miracle but a few years ago, but who that has visited our modern asylums can doubt that all this has practically been accomplished by the exertions of philanthropic men.

Through this public beneficence, the unfortunate inmate of the asylum, which, by the way, has been re-named, and is called an institution, as in pg 101better keeping with its purpose, is in many respects more fortunate than many in less favored lands who enjoy every sense in perfection. He is taught to manufacture wagons, paper boxes, etc., to weave mats and carpets, and to manufacture a variety of useful articles. Above all, he is enabled to acquire a liberal education, and is thereby placed in a higher sphere than those who, in years past, looked on him with pity and contempt. Self-reliant, fully competent to obtain by their own hands an honest livelihood, the inmates of this institution go forth into the world. And who, but those families possessing an unfortunate member, bereft of the sense of speech and hearing, can appreciate the joyful emotions felt by his friends when the deaf and dumb pupil is first enabled to communicate with them in an intelligent manner.

The asylum is free to all the deaf and dumb, and the blind, in Michigan, between the ages of ten and thirty years. All are entitled to an education without charge for board or tuition. The time for admission is about the first of October.

Thus we see, that in little more than twenty years, Michigan has adopted a system of education unexceled in older communities; nor is the hand of progress to cease its zealous efforts. An improvement in the school law is now being agitated, by which all children shall be compelled to attend school for a certain length of time, unless parents shall adequately provide for their education elsewhere. The State imposes a heavy tax on its citizens for the support of the public schools, and is it not bound to secure to society the full benefit of these schools? The child has a sacred and indefeasible right to so much education as society can provide. Society embraces all men in its bosom, and its safety and well-being are essential to the safety and well-being of all. If there be any parent who interferes with the education of his child, his views must be sacrificed to the greater interests of the multitude.

With regard to the men who have hitherto held the office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, and under whose guidance so much good has been accomplished, their names are as follows: John D. Pierce, Franklin Sawyer, O. C. Comstock, Ira Mahew, Francis W. Shearman, Ira Mahew again, J. M. Gregory, and the present incumbent, Oramel Hosford.

We come now to speak of the Michigan Asylum for the Insane. We can say that the edifice is spacious and beautiful, and that in its furnishing and adaptedness to the purpose for which it was established, it is not one whit behind the other institutions of the country in efficiency and high character. The number of patients treated in 1867 and 1868 was 373, and the number remaining at the commencement of 1869 was 229. According to the latest reports for 1869 the annual expenditures amounted to $63,500, and it has capacity for three hundred patients.

As to the State Prison, its condition has lately been improved, but it is not yet a self-sustaining institution. The number of inmates in 1868 was 622; the earnings amounted to $85,238, and disbursements $94,136. We regret to say that the usual liberality and wisdom of the State authorities have not been manifested in the general management of this institution; but we are glad to know that through the influence of Governor Baldwin there is a fair prospect of improvement. Appropriation for its support in 1869, only $2,000.

As a fitting paragraph in this chapter we may append the following particulars, respecting the number of students reported in the higher institutions of the State, for the year ending with 1868:

University, 1,223; Agricultural College (many rejected for want of room,) pg 10292; Normal School (average attendance,) 223; Adrian College (Methodist,) 242; Albion College (Episcopal Methodist,) 263; Hillsdale College (Free-Will Baptist,) 235; Kalamazoo College (Baptist,) 102; Hope College (Dutch Reform,) 96; and Olivet College (Congregational,) 295.

The following facts are given concerning the primary schools and educational funds:

The average length of the schools during the year 1868 was six and two-tenths months. To capitulate: there were employed 2,086 male teachers, and 7,522 females, at average wages per month, to the former, $47.78, and to the latter, $21.92. To this should be added the board of a large portion of the whole number. There were 72 stone school-houses, 416 brick, 3,609 frame, and 618 of logs; the whole, including sites, valued at $4,384,081. The amount expended on buildings during the year was $805,706. The total resources of the schools amounted in all to well-nigh three millions; and about three-fourths of this was by the voluntary action of the several districts.

The school fund amounted to $2,550,337, most of which pays 7 per cent. It will ultimately reach nearly four millions. The University fund is $559,978, and draws 7 per cent. The Normal School fund was $66,697, and drew 6 per cent. All parties have at all times sacredly regarded the educational fund. Other State funds have been sometimes squandered, and sometimes stolen, but rogues have ever left the school funds unharmed, and we think we can challenge any State to show a better appreciation of popular education than has the State of Michigan during its brief but splendid career.

With regard to the Union School system of the State, it has been pronounced commendable in the highest degree: Two or more districts, according to the law, may vote on the question of uniting for a Union School District; those that give a two-thirds vote majority in favor of it may unite if the whole number of scholars is two hundred. Immediately after the vote is taken the several district boards notify the school inspectors, who shall unite said districts, giving five days’ notice of a meeting to be held to elect officers, six in number, who constitute the Union School Board, and are called trustees.

The district may then proceed to raise funds to build a school-house, which may be by direct tax or by bonds. In a country growing as rapidly as ours, it has been thought advisable to issue bonds; this method equalizes the tax so that those who may settle in the district five, ten, or fifteen years after the house is built, and have the benefit of the schools, have their proportion of the tax to pay, so that in proportion to the increase of property and inhabitants, the tax is lessened, that it might not be more than one-tenth, or even one-twentieth, what it would be to raise a direct tax. This is one of the best features in the law. Funds raised on bonds are restricted, or limited, as follows:—Districts thus united, having 50 scholars, may raise not to exceed $3,000; 100 scholars, $10,000; 200 scholars, $20,000; 300 scholars, $30,000; 400 scholars, $50,000.

And now, in further illustration of the avidity with which the people of Michigan have always fostered the idea of mental culture, we submit a list of the literary institutions which were incorporated by the Legislature during the fifteen years intervening between the adoption of its two State Constitutions, viz: Marshall Academy, White Pigeon, date of incorporation, 1836; Central College, Spring Arbor, 1845; Spring Arbor Seminary, 1835; Wesleyan Seminary, at Albion, 1841; Michigan and Huron Institute, 1837; Tecumseh Academy, 1838; Grand River Theological Seminary, pg 1031839; Lake Academy and Teachers’ Seminary 1839; Marshall College, 1839; Marshall Female Seminary, 1839; St. Phillip’s College, 1839; Allegan Academy, 1843; Grand Rapids Academy, 1844; Utica Female Seminary, 1844; Ann Arbor Female Seminary, 1845; Ypsilanti Seminary, 1845; Adrian Seminary, 1846; Clinton Institute, 1846; Vermontville Academical Association, 1846; White Pigeon Academy, 1847; Raisin Institute, 1847; Howell Academy, 1848; Leoni Institution, 1848; Leoni Seminary, 1848; Olivet Institute, 1848; Woodstock Manual Labor Institute, 1848; Oakland Female Seminary, 1849; Tecumseh Literary Institute, 1849; Clarkson Academical Institute, 1850; Clinton Institute, 1850; Young Ladies’ Seminary, at Monroe, 1850; St. Mark’s College, Grand Rapids, 1850; and St. Mary’s Academy, at Bertrand, 1850. Surely, of such an educational record as we have now briefly sketched, the State of Michigan may well be proud; and the results are every day developing in the happiness and prosperity of her people.

AGRICULTURE.

In 1860 the population of Michigan was about seven hundred and forty-two thousand, but at the present time it is supposed to exceed a million and two hundred thousand. This is an increase of more than thirty-three per cent. in ten years. Now, in the absence of accurate data connected with the present year of 1870, we can only suggest an approximation to the present condition of agriculture in the State, and this may be ascertained by adding the above per centage to the figures contained in the census reports of 1860, which, with regard to the most important particulars, are as follows:

Improved farm lands, 3,476,296 acres.

Unimproved farm lands, 3,554,538 acres.

Cash value of farm lands, $160,836,495.

Number of horses in the State, 137,917.

Number of cattle, 478,344.

Number of sheep, 1,271,743.

Number of swine, 372,386.

Value of live stock, $23,714,771.

Bushels of wheat, 8,336,368.

Bushels of Indian corn, 12,444,676.

Bushels of oats, 4,036,980.

Pounds of wool, 3,960,888.

Bushels of potatoes, 5,261,245.

Value of orchard productions, $1,122,074.

Pounds of butter, 15,503,482.

Pounds of cheese, 1,641,897.

Pounds of maple sugar, 4,051,822.

Gallons of sorgham molasses, 86,953.

Gallons of maple molasses, 78,988.

Pounds of honey, 769,282.

Value of slaughtered animals, $5,093,362.

In 1860 the value of the live stock in the State was $23,714,791, and at the beginning of the year 1869 it had increased to $54,426,109. The wheat crop for 1867, a good average year, amounted to 16,000,000 bushels of what is known as winter wheat; the clip of wool reached 10,500,000 pounds; and the apple crop amounted to 410,000 barrels, the estimated value of which was $1,500,000. But the latest authentic figures by which we can exhibit pg 104the wealth of Michigan in leading agricultural products are for the years 1866, 1867, and 1868, as follows:

The several incorporated bodies to whose care the farming interests have been assigned are the State Board of Agriculture, the Michigan Agricultural Society, and the Agricultural College, already noticed in these pages. According to R. F. Johnstone, who holds the position of secretary of the society just named, “the general system of agriculture in Michigan has been largely governed by the necessity which has compelled each farmer to apply all his abilities to the clearing and amelioration of the surface of the land. But the time has come when this system must be changed, the necessity for which is indicated by the decreased production of fields longest under cultivation. Farms that formerly produced thirty to forty bushels of the choicest wheat to the acre now seldom yield over twenty-five, and in many cases the quality is inferior; and where this yield is exceeded it is upon the new and recently cleared lands, where the soil is yet rich in the elements of fertility with which nature has supplied the surface.”

Of government lands undisposed of, lately lying in the State of Michigan, there were more than four and a half millions of acres; and, in view of that fact, the following particulars are worth reproducing: That part of the southern peninsula known as the “Grand Traverse Country” has recently been attracting the attention of actual settlers and parties speculating in lands. In this district the State Agricultural College has located over one hundred thousand acres. The climate and soil are favorable to the growth of peaches, pears, grapes, and other fruits. Wheat of the best quality, comparing favorably pg 105with any raised in other parts of the State, is successfully cultivated. Its sheep-walks are highly commended. Concerning the timber there, the secretary of the State Board of Agriculture remarks as follows: “The prevailing growth over a large portion of the country, embracing the best soil for cultivation, is the sugar-maple. Having considerable acquaintance with this species of tree, from the Penobscot to the Potomac and Ohio, the writer can safely say that he never saw such grand specimens as are to be met with in countless numbers in the Grand Traverse Country. They are frequently found of a height of sixty to seventy feet, without a limb, of a diameter of three feet or more at the ground, and very straight. Of course, such large trees cannot stand as closely together as smaller ones; they hold possession of the ground, however, which in many cases is free from undergrowth, so that the forest presents the appearance of an artificial plantation or park through which the people on horseback may readily pass in any direction.”

With regard to the condition of the public lands of Michigan, we gather from the records in the office of the Secretary of State the subjoined information. Of the primary school land, during the year 1869, there were sold 25,940 acres for $103,936, against 28,848 for $115,393 in the year preceding. Swamp lands sold, 7,369 acres, for $11,253; University land, 88 acres, for $1,053; Agricultural School land, 13,480 acres, for $43,000; Asylum land, 80 acres, for $640; State Building land for $260; Salt Spring land, 196 acres, for $945; Internal Improvement land, 559 acres, for $699; and Normal School land for $160, making a grand total of 45,475 acres for $161,948. According to the State census of 1865 the public lands amounted to 35,995,520 acres; of which 3,647,645 were improved, and 12,086,660 were liable to pay taxes.

The grant to the State, under the act of Congress known as the Swamp Land Act, was about six millions of acres. The lands were located in all parts of the State. Though known as swamp lands, a large proportion of them were well adapted to agricultural purposes, and many of them were covered with valuable forests. The appropriations made by the State Legislatures prior to 1868 amounted to more than 4,000,000 of acres.

With the above figures before him, taken in connection with the general descriptions in the first part of this volume, the reader will obtain a fair idea of the condition of agriculture in the State of Michigan in 1868.

Another statement which may be added in this connection is that of the aggregate cash value per acre of the farm products of the State for the year 1869; which is as follows: Corn, $25.08; wheat, $20.50; rye, $19.72; oats, $15.05; barley, $36.34; buckwheat, $15.90; potatoes, $52.64; tobacco, $231; hay, $18.75; and aggregate of all crops per acre, $21.

With regard to the fruit culture, we submit the following returns for 1869: From 12,000 to 15,000 acres of land are devoted to fruit culture in Western Michigan, the greater portion of which is planted in trees not yet bearing. The average prices of fruit during the season were about as follows: strawberries per quart, 10 cents; raspberries, 12 cents; blackberries, 8 cents; apples per bushel, 80 cents; pears, $3; cherries, $4; plums, $3; quinces, $4; peaches, per box or basket, 75 cents; grapes per pound, 10 cents. The value of the fruit crop of the season is estimated as follows: Apples, $113,392; peaches, $563,722; pears, $11,262; cherries, $2,520; grapes, $7,110; blackberries, $107,705; raspberries, $50,617; strawberries, $12,737; and plums, $1,100; total, $870,165. The total shipments from twelve ports in the region named are stated as follows: Apples, bushels, 141,740; peaches, baskets, 751,630; quinces, baskets, 446; pears, baskets, 3,754; plums, baskets, 490; cherries, baskets, 630; grapes, pounds, 71,100; pg 106blackberries, quarts, 1,346,324; raspberries, quarts, 421,812; strawberries, quarts, 127,372; cranberries, bushels, 370; cider, barrels, 660; tomatoes, baskets, 145.

The appropriations made by the State for the support of the Agricultural College in 1869 amounted to $45,000.

Having elsewhere spoken of the total area of the State of Michigan, we insert in this place a summary of the counties in which it is divided. Of course, in the extent of their population, there is great difference, and while some of them are not fully organized, we find the number to be seventy-five, and their names as follows, with the population according to the census of 1870, excepting those marked with a star, which are from the census of 1864, there being no later returns at this date:

Alcona, population, 693; Allegan, 18,831; Alpena, includes “Thunder Bay,” of Lake Huron, 2,756; Antrim, Grand Traverse Region, 1,985; Barry, 22,070; Bay, on Saginaw Bay, 15,900; *Berrien, 25,856; Benzie, 2,184; Branch, 26,244; Calhoun, 36,172; *Cass, 17,776; Cheboygan, includes island of Mackinaw, 2,197; Chippeway, includes Saute St. Marie, 1,690; Clare,—; Clinton, 22,886; Crawford, ——; Delta, 2,421; Eaton, 25,196; *Emmet, extreme northern part of Lower Peninsula, and includes Mackinaw City, 1,211; Genessee, 33,910; Gladwin, 14; Grand Traverse, Grand Traverse Region, 4,332; Gratiot, 17,869; Hillsdale, 31,705; Houghton, includes Copper Region and Porcupine Mountains, 13,905; Huron, on Saginaw Bay, 9,053; Ingham, includes Lansing, State capital, 25,281; Ionia, 27,682; Iosco, on Saginaw Bay, 3,155; Isabella, 4,479; Jackson, 36,082; Kalamazoo, 32,068; Kalcasca, Grand Traverse Region, 424; Kent, 50,330; Keewenaw, includes Copper Region, Porcupine Mountains, and Isle Royal, 4,206; Lake, 548; Lapeer, 21,355; Leelenaw, Grand Traverse Region, 4,569; Lenawee, 45,635; Livingston, 19,339; Macomb, on Lake St. Clair, 27,617; Manistee, 6,084; Manitou, 1,043; Marquette, Iron Region, 14,982; *Mason, 844; Mecosta, 5,645; Menominee, on Green Bay, 1,892; Mackinac, head of Lake Michigan, 1,716; Midland, 3,021; Missaukee, 130; Monroe, on west end of Lake Erie, 27,486; Montcalm, 13,351; Montmorency, ——; Muskegon, 14,899; *Newaygo, 3,481; Oakland, 40,898; *Oceana, 2,379; Ogemaw, 12; Ontonagon, includes Copper Region and Porcupine Mountains, 2,895; Osceola, 2,105; Oscoda, 70; Otsego, ——; Ottawa, 26,558; Presque Isle, 355; Roscommon, ——; Saginaw, includes Salt Region, 38,902; Sanilac, 14,564; Schoolcraft, includes “Pictured Rocks” of Lake Superior, 52; Shiawassee, 20,856; St. Clair, on Lake St. Clair, 36,837; St. Joseph, 26,669; Tuscola, on Saginaw Bay, 13,715; *Van Buren, 17,830; Washtenaw, includes “University of Michigan,” at Ann Arbor, 41,449; Wayne, includes City of Detroit, and partly on Lake St. Clair, 119,685; Wexford, 950.

As the general census for 1870 is not likely to be published for one or two years, our only way to study the recent progress of Michigan is by mentioning such statements as may happen to come, in an isolated form, to our knowledge. For example, here is a significant paragraph bearing upon the city of Detroit. In 1860 the total population was about 46,000, and the number of families in the city was 8,963. In 1870 it contained about 80,000 inhabitants and 14,698 families; and to these figures may be added of mercantile shops 718, groceries 381, offices 446, hotels 63, boarding-houses 196, churches 54, public halls 13, public schools 108, machine shops 893, and restaurants 669. Barring one or two items, these results are certainly creditable to the people, whose progress in material prosperity is remarkable.

Every intelligent and thoughtful man occasionally looks forward to the pg 107future, and wonders what his State and country are to be in years to come. Of course we cannot lift the veil and view the State as it will be a generation or a century hence. But we can look back and see what it was a half century since. We can trace its progress from that time to the present, and from its growth in the past we may form a tolerably correct idea of what it may be in the future.

The first census of Michigan was taken in 1810, and showed a population of 4,618 whites, 120 free colored, and 24 slaves. Total, 4,762.

In 1820 there were 8,591 whites, 174 colored. Total, 8,765.

In 1830, 31,346 whites, 261 colored, 32 slaves. Total, 31,639.

In 1840, 211,560 whites, 707 colored. Total, 212,267.

In 1850, 395,071 whites, 2,583 colored. Total, 397,654.

In 1860, 742,314 whites, 6,798 colored. Total, 749,213.

In 1864, according to the State census, the population was 805,379.

The vote of the State at the election of 1869 was over 220,000. This, allowing one voter to every five persons, would indicate a population in 1870 of over 1,100,000. There is scarcely a doubt that the census of 1870 will show a population in the two peninsulas of more than 1,200,000.

The ratio of increase from 1840 to 1850 was 87⅓ per cent. From 1850 to 1860, 88⅓. A fraction over 60 per cent. increase from 1860 to 1870 would make the population of the State at the latter date 1,200,000, as above estimated. And the same ratio of increase from 1870 to 1880 would swell the population to about two millions.

We confidently expect that the above figures will be found none too high ten years hence. We see no reason why we may not expect an increase of sixty per cent. during that time. No part of the State can yet be said to be densely populated, while large portions of it are yet covered with primeval forests, in which the sound of the settler’s axe has never been heard.

Only at one time since the first settlement of the State, and then but for a brief period, has the advance been as rapid as at present. Everywhere, in city, village, and country, there is a substantial and healthful progress. With judicious legislation, both State and National, this progress should continue. Such legislation it is proper to expect; and hence, if made the recipient of such, the continued prosperity and rapid development of Michigan, is undoubtedly assured.

MINERAL WEALTH.

The copper interest of Michigan was first brought into public notice by the speculation excitement of 1845. The large spur of country which projects into Lake Superior, called Keweenaw Point, became the El Dorado of that day. In that year the first active operations were commenced near Eagle Harbor, and the Cliff mine was developed; in 1848 the mines on the Ontonagon were first opened; and in 1855 operations were commenced in what is known as the Pewabic mine. For several years after these mines were discovered the Falls of St. Mary were a great stumbling-block in the way of success, but the opening of the canal between the waters of Lakes Huron and Superior gave a wonderful impetus to the whole business, which steadily increased from a yield of about twenty-five hundred tons of pure copper in 1853 to eighty-five hundred tons in 1861. During the twenty years succeeding 1845 there were not less than one hundred and twenty copper-mining companies organized under the laws of Michigan. The amount of capital invested was not less than twelve millions of dollars. What is known as the copper region, extending about one hundred and thirty-five miles in length and from one to six in width, is divided into three pg 108districts, each one of which has some peculiarities of product; the Ontonagon or western district developing more masses; while the other two, the Keweenaw Point and Portage Lake districts, are more prolific in the vein rocks, the copper being generally scattered. The copper product of Michigan from 1845 to 1868 amounted to 128,275 tons, the total value of which has been put down at more than seventy-three millions of dollars.

Another mineral interest of Michigan, which promises to become an important source of revenue, is that of iron. The first shipment of pig-iron of any consequence was made in 1858, although the mines were opened in 1857 by the “Pioneer Iron Company.” The centre of this business is Marquette, on Lake Superior, and from that county is obtained one-fifth of all the iron ore used in the United States. In the village and vicinity are several shafts more than a hundred feet deep, a number of blast furnaces, and several machine-shops where various kinds of castings and iron manufactures are turned out. It has been demonstrated that there is no better iron to be found anywhere than among the hills of Lake Superior, and shipments of ore are now regularly made to the States of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. The ore is found in a slate formation, and is granular, specular, and hermatite, yielding 75 per cent. of pure iron. For car-wheels, gearing, shafting, for cranks and flanges nothing has been found to surpass or even equal the iron of Michigan. The whole region lying back of Marquette is said to contain an inexhaustible supply of iron ore, and there are people who believe that Lake Superior is surrounded with a belt of the same ore.

These facts, as it has been truly said by another, exhibit the untold wealth of Michigan in iron ore alone, and point with certainty to an extent of business that will add millions to the invested capital of the State, dot it with iron manufactories of all kinds, and furnish regular employment to thousands of citizens, while the wares of the State and the raw material will be found in all the markets of the country. The product of Michigan iron for 1869 was in advance of all previous years, was sold at the rate of two dollars per ton, and gave employment to about two hundred vessels, the demand having been greater than the supply. For purposes of reference we subjoin the value of the product annually for a term of years: 1858, $249,202; 1859, $575,529; 1860, $736,496; 1861, $419,401; 1862, $984,977; 1863, $1,416,935; 1864, $1,867,215; 1865, $1,590,430; 1866, $2,405,960; 1867, $3,475,720; 1868, $3,676,705; 1869, $5,296,315.

We now come to the salt interest of the State. It was demonstrated by the late Douglass Houghton that the Salt Springs of Michigan would prove to be valuable, but it was not until 1859 that salt became a staple article of merchandise for home consumption. It was in that year that certain enterprising citizens of East Saginaw petitioned to the Legislature for the passage of laws to protect the salt interest; and an act was at once passed allowing a bounty of ten cents per bushel and an exemption from taxation on real and personal property used in the manufacture, the bounty to be paid when five thousand bushels had been made by the manufacturers. This gave an impulse to the business, and operations were commenced at Grand Rapids and East Saginaw. The law allowing a bounty was amended in 1860 greatly reducing the amount, and providing that all companies which commenced manufacturing previous to the first of August, 1861, should be allowed five cents per barrel, until they received one thousand dollars, after which all bounties ceased. The property was exempt from taxation for five years, and none of the companies formed since 1861 received any bounty.

In 1869 the Saginaw Valley turned out not less than 596,873 barrels of pg 109salt, and the Legislature provided by law for the appointment of a State inspector of salt, the first man appointed having been Dr. S. S. Garrigues. At that date there were in the Saginaw Valley 59 companies, 119 salt blocks, 4,198 covers, 4,045 kettles, 123 grainers; 3,000 men were employed in the business, and the cost of producing was thirty cents per bushel, and the capital invested amounted to $2,632,500. At Port Austin the yield for 1809 was 14,000 barrels.

In 1833 certain plaster beds were discovered in Kent county, in the vicinity of Grand Rapids, which have been found to be inexhaustible. They were first brought to market through the enterprise of De Garmo Jones, of Detroit. The mineral is found imbedded in slate, and is cut out clear; and the demand for it having been great in all parts of the western country, it finds a ready market, to which it is transported by the Detroit and Milwaukee railroad. The amount annually manufactured in this locality varies from ten to twenty thousand tons.

It is worthy of mention, in this connection, that during the summer of 1870 there was quite a rush of people to the town of Eaton Rapids, seeking health from the magnetic waters of that place. These waters are very copious, and certain properties have been discovered in them which are said to upset many of the old opinions of scientific men. That they are of great value in curing certain types of disease, seems to have been fully demonstrated. But the town of St. Louis, in Gratiot county, claims to be equally supplied with magnetic waters with Eaton Rapids, and a report made by Professor Samuel P. Duffield claims for them a variety of valuable qualities. In a paper which Professor Alexander Winchell read before the association, for the advancement of science on the magnetic wells of the State, he submitted many interesting particulars. The wells are widely separated in position, and their waters are derived from different geological formations. Some are supplied from the bottom of the coal measures, and others from geological positions five hundred and one thousand feet lower. Nor is there any greater correspondence in the chemical constitution of the waters. They are all, however, more or less alkaline, and some of them saline and chalybeate. The conclusions arrived at by the professor are as follows: 1. Nearly all pieces of iron and steel are found possessed of permanent and varying polarity. 2. Neutral iron is polarized by being placed in the magnetic meridian or in a vertical position. 3. This induced polarity can be detected in its effects upon a permanent magnet. 4. The mineral waters of Michigan tend to induce polarity (i.e., the same as the south end of the needle) in the outer end of a rod of soft iron passed through a cork into a bottle of the water. 5. This property is retained by the water for weeks and months. 6. A rod of steel, or a knife blade, immersed in the water from twenty minutes to ten hours acquires very sensible polarity, though practically neutral before immersion. 7. No satisfactory evidence exists that the water itself is polarized or that magnetism can be bottled up in it. 8. The phenomena are more likely to arise from some chemical action between the water and the iron; and this supposition is strengthened by the fact that they arise equally when the rod is simply moistened, when it is immersed in water rendered artificially alkaline or salt, and when the surface of the steel is unpolished, and, or not, arise when pure rain water is employed. 9. Should it be shown that the magnetism is not excited by chemical action, and that the water itself possesses a feeble polarity, we may recall to mind the mountains of magnetic oxyd of iron near Lake Superior, the disintegration of which, in former ages, has supplied an enormous amount of magnetic iron sand, which is strewn along the shores of the great lakes, and enters largely pg 110into the constitution of the palæozoic strata, forming sometimes, it may be, real lodestone strata, as alleged, and that particles of this magnetic oxyd may float, polarized, in water flowing from subterranean reservoirs in any part of the lower peninsula of Michigan.

Vast coal beds underlie nearly the whole central portion of Michigan, most of it of very good quality, yet nearly all the coal consumed in the State is brought from Pennsylvania and Ohio, at a very heavy cost in the way of lake and railroad freight charges. In view of these facts it is a matter of individual interest to nearly all the people of the State to have the coal veins of Michigan opened and worked. The developments thus far in mining it have not reached important results, although beds of it have been worked in Shiawassee and Jackson counties with success; but it is gratifying to state that a very great improvement is soon to take place in the development of this important element of wealth. The coal-field of Michigan, according to Professor J. W. Foster, is about one hundred feet thick, and extends over an area of five thousand square miles.

In 1869 the Governor of Michigan, Henry P. Baldwin submitted to the Legislature the importance of a thorough and complete geological survey of the State, and an interesting report made by the joint committees of the two houses, and signed by Lyman D. Norris and John Q. McKernan, was made the basis of farther legislation. From that report we are permitted to extract the subjoined summary of geological exploration and legislation in Michigan from the earliest to the present times:

1659.—First mention of copper in the Upper Peninsula, in the Relations of the Jesuit Fathers concerning their mission in the New World.

1771.—First mining enterprise, near the forks of the Ontonagon river, by Alexander Henry. (See, farther on, the speech of an Indian chief of Ontonagon, at the treaty of Fond du Lac.)

1789.—Explorations of Alexander McKenzie, on the shores of Lake Superior.

1800.—Under the elder Adams, Congressional resolution providing for an agent to collect information of the copper mines of Lake Superior.

No results extant.

1819.—Expedition of Governor Cass and H. R. Schoolcraft along the south shore of Lake Superior.

Results meager; published in Schoolcraft’s “Journal of Travels,” etc., 1821.

1823.—Expedition of Major Long, with several scientific gentleman, who, on their return from the Red River of the North, coasted the north shore of Lake Superior.

Reports of the War Department.

1823.—Expedition of Governor Cass and Colonel McKenney, of the Indian Department, to Fond du Lac, to negotiate the treaty with the Chippewas.

The Governor, in his speech in the Council, says: “We also wish that you would allow your Great Father to look through the country, and take such copper as he may find. This copper does you no good, and it would be useful to us to make into kettles, buttons, bells, and a great many other things.”

The replies of the chiefs are quite characteristic and piquant, and are models of brevity and point, quite suggestive to legislative councils of later day.

Shin-gaw-ba W’ossin, Chief of Saute St. Marie band, says:

“If you have any copper on your lands I advise you to sell it. It is of pg 111no advantage to us. *  *  * If any of you have any knowledge, bring it to light.”

Yellow Thunder.—“In my country there is no copper. If I said there was I should lie.”

Plover, (of Ontonagon.)—“I have no knowledge of any copper in my country. There is a rock there. I met some of your people in search of it. I told them if they took it, to steal it, and not let me catch them.”

Another chief, (of Ontonagon,) name not known.—“You have heard the words of the Plover on this rock. This, Fathers, is the property of no one man. It belongs alike to us. It was put there by the Great Spirit, and it is ours. In the life of my father, the British were busy working it. It was then big, like that table. They tried to raise it to the top of the hill, and they failed. They then said the copper was not in the rock, but in the banks of the river. They dug for it by a light, working under ground. The earth fell in and killed three of their men. It was then left until now. Fathers, at the time of which I speak, a great price was paid by the English for our permission. We expect no less from you. If you take this rock, Fathers, the benefit must be to our children who are now but this high (a foot.) For ourselves we care but little. We are old and nearly worn out.”

Another chief, (name not known.)—“Fathers, the copper I brought here was taken from the bed of the river. I will point out the place.”

Maw-gaw-gid.—“There is no metal in our part of the country. I have heard neither our old nor young men speak of any.”

This copper rock was found by Captain Porter, lying on the west bank of the Ontonagon, about thirty-four miles from its mouth, weighing about one ton, and two-thirds pure copper; but as three cataracts, with a descent of seventy feet, was between the rock and the lake, the captain did not “steal” the copper. Touching the land that the Great Spirit had given the red men, the commissioners were more successful.

“Sketches of a Tour to the Lakes,” by Thomas L. McKenney, Baltimore. 1827.

1831.—Dr. Houghton was with Schoolcraft in an United States expedition to find the sources of the Mississippi, and in his reports refers to the aid received from this exploration.

State of Michigan.—1837.—Session laws, page 14, provides for a geological, zoological, botanical, and topographical survey. Dr. Douglass Houghton as chief, and five assistants, were appointed. These assistants were Dr. Abram Sager, (botany and zoology,) S. W. Higgins, (topographer,) C. C. Douglass, Bela Hubbard, William P. Smith, and later, Dr. John Wright, botanist, was added.

1838.—Session laws, page 119, is a new and enlarged act.

The reports made under these acts were as follows:

1838, January 26th.—General Geology. 37 pp.

1839, February 4.—A report of 153 pp., devoted to Geology, Zoology, Botany, Topography, and to the local geology in Eaton, Ingham, Jackson, Wayne, and Monroe. This year the department of Zoology and Botany were suspended.

1840, January 6.—A special Report on Salt Springs.

1840, February 3.—A report of 109 pp. upon Geology and Topography, and local examination of the geology and coal measures of Jackson, Calhoun, Kalamazoo, Ionia, and Kent, Lenawee, Hillsdale, Branch, St. Joseph, Cass, Berrien, Washtenaw, Oakland, and Livingston counties.

1841, February 1.—Came the fourth annual report, 169 pp., (89 pp. devoted pg 112to Geology, etc., of Lake Superior country,) Latitudes and Magnetic Variations, rise and fall of lake water, and general geology of the organized counties, and “furs, fish, and harbors of Lake Superior.”

1841, February 4.—A brief report relative to State and county maps. Four county maps were published and sold. Ten were finished and ready for the engravers. They are waiting yet, if extant.

1842, January 25.—Dr. Houghton sends in his last (5th) Annual Report of only 6 pages, with notices of the geology of the western portion of the Lake Superior country.

By the act of 1837 $29,000 were appropriated, $3,000 for 1837, $6,000 for 1838, $8,000 for 1839, and $12,000 for 1840.

By the act of 1838 this appropriation was so modified as to give $12,000 a year for three years, with a conditional drawback upon the University fund of $4,000.

The financial pressure of the times cut short the labors of Dr. Houghton, and while he was in the active prosecution of a plan for connecting the linear surveys of the public lands with a geological survey, his death, by drowning, near Eagle river, on the night of October 13th, 1845, put an end to his usefulness, and all the people of our young State are mourning over his untimely death. His was truly a sad loss to the State and nation.

An enthusiastic lover of science for itself and for no selfish ends, with a constitution that seemed never to know fatigue or fear, labor or danger, he had withal a kindly, loving heart, that drew to itself all who were brought within his circle. Simple as a child and as unassuming as he was scholarly, he wrote his name in the history of this State, there to remain forever.

The influence that such men have lives after them, and if there is anything of unsensational enthusiasm in the advocacy of the writer of this report of such thorough geologic work as would most gratify the spirit of that great and good man of science, (if he is permitted “to participate in the cares and concerns of this mortal life,”) it springs from the recollection of many months of intimate personal intercourse had with him in the earliest days of our University. His low, compact, sinewy figure, crowned with a dome-like brain, always bent downward like a full head of wheat, as he sauntered across the college campus, surrounded by the baker’s dozen of the students of those days—always welcome companions to him—is one of memory’s pictures never to be effaced. With his forward and downward look he seemed ever to be interrogating mother Earth and asking for her secrets, while no rare bug, or beetle, or blade of grass, or stone escaped his notice, but was seized and examined and taken as the text for many pleasant and instructive lectures to the loving group that stood around.

“Peace to the just man’s memory.” He is at rest from his labors in the bosom of that common mother whose secrets he sought so earnestly to explore. We may confidently believe that his title to the six feet finally to be allotted to us all is under the good old common law tenure: “Cujus est solum, ejus est usque ad cœlum.” He who owns the soil, owns it to the Heavens.

And what were the results of his labors? Necessarily fragmentary and incomplete, they were not inconsiderable. His discoveries and developments of the Gypsum, Marl, Mineral Springs, Bog Iron Ore, Coal, Iron, Copper and Brine Springs, (of which latter many analyses and locations are given now fully verified,) in various localities in this State, disclosed a world of undeveloped wealth, the rapid returns from which were many years delayed by the financial troubles of his day, the sparseness of settlements, the pg 113want of surplus capital, and the necessities among the pioneers of every State, to labor first for bread and a foothold.

1847, March 1.—Reference should here be made to an act of Congress of this date, under which Dr. C. T. Jackson spent two seasons in an exploration of the Lake Superior region, and in 1849-50 made a report thereon of 801 pages.

This work was continued by Foster and Whitney, in their two reports, “Copper Lands” (224 pages) and “Iron Regions,” (406 pages,) given to the world, the first 1850, April 15, and the second 1851, November 12.—See Ex. Doc., No. 69, First Sess. XXXI Cong., vol. 9, and Ex. Doc. No. 4, Special Sess. XXXII Cong., vol. 3.

Since then, a period of almost twenty years of unexampled development of mines and minerals in the upper peninsula, nothing has been done there by government, State or national, and but small expenditures have been authorized on the lower peninsula, as hereinafter detailed.

1859.—By act No. 206, the Governor was authorized to appoint a geologist and assistants to finish the survey; and $2,000 for that year, $3,000 for the following were appropriated.

Professor A. Winchell was commissioned by Governor Wisner, and sent in his first report December 31, 1860, of 330 pages, devoted wholly to the lower peninsula, setting forth the progress of the work for the years 1859 and 1860. Of this report, 210 pages are geological, 30 pages zoological, (Professor Miles’,) and 85 pages botanical.

During the first year fully one-half the appropriation was absorbed in zoological work. The geological results, then, are properly chargeable with only $4,000. The whole two years’ work was, at the request of Governor Wisner, kept in the lower peninsula, principally because the means provided were not sufficient to inaugurate effective work in the upper.

The work indicated from this report is a general survey of the settled counties, and of the entire lake shores of the lower peninsula, with detailed examinations, with a view of settling questions as to coal, gypsum and brine, and other questions connected with economic geology.

The practical results of Dr. Houghton’s survey are too far from our day to estimate; but those of Professor Winchell are nearer our time, and can be found, more or less, in the current and contemporary news of the day.

A few of these results, addressed to those members of both houses, who will hinge their vote upon the question, “Will it pay?” your committee beg leave to refer to. Operations for coal in Hillsdale were arrested. The citizens of Grand Rapids were informed that if they would find brine, they must go lower, to the salina formation. The deepest and most productive salt basin was located beneath the Saginaw Valley, and as the result of pure geological induction in remote portions of the State, before the first brine was seen, 850 feet was fixed as the depth at which good brine would be found—a prophesy verified almost to a foot by Dr. Lathrop in the Saginaw Valley. A complete table of geological formations of the lower peninsula, and their equivalencies with recognized groups in other States, was for the first time constructed. The existence of gypsum beneath a ridge of clay on the shore of Tawas Bay was insisted on, and the discovery of that deposit, the commercial value of which is now a matter of notoriety, was made under the direction of Professor Winchell. Projected borings for artesian water, searches for coal, gypsum, and petroleum, have been favored or discouraged, and large outlays of money saved.

The existence of three salt basins was established, the upper of which supplies Bay City and vicinity, (except the deep wells;) the middle, the Saginaw; pg 114and the lower, the wells at St. Clair, Mt. Clemens and Port Austin. The wells at the three last-named places were undertaken under the advice of the State Geologist, purely upon geological calculations, according to the methods of rigorous science. In the case of the St. Clair well, the communications of the Geologist with Colonel Whiting, as to depth, supply and strength of brine, are instructive indications of the value of science in business enterprises.

The special survey and report upon the geology and climatology of the Grand Traverse Region, 1866-7, has been the means (though wholly a private work) of turning the attention of the people to that country, and has largely increased its population, particularly of those interested in fruit culture, under the tempering influence of the waters of Lake Michigan.

More might be added, but this ought, in the opinion of your committee, to secure a liberal appropriation.

1861.—By joint resolution No. 7, provision was made for printing and distributing five thousand copies of the report made in 1859.

1861.—By act No. 64, two thousand dollars for the year, and a like sum for the next, were appropriated for continuing the geological survey, with direction to restrict labor to geology exclusively, except so far as the collection of specimens in botany and natural science may not materially interfere with the same.

Under this act but one thousand dollars was drawn and expended. Governor Blair failed to draw his warrant for the remainder, rather procrastinating than refusing, and the season for field work passed, and the country was soon involved in the tumult of war, and the continuance of the survey was not pressed by the officers in charge.

1863.—By act No. 212, a special appropriation of fifteen hundred dollars for that year, and a like sum for 1864, was appropriated to provide that a suitable person (presumably a geologist) should visit the salt localities of the State, and make a special survey thereof, with direct reference to the feasibility of salt boring; also, to collect and arrange suitable specimens of the different strata obtained from salt borings, and the same to arrange in a cabinet suitable for the same, in some room of the Capitol, (possibly the library room, as the least crowded and most capacious.)

Your committee are unable to find any public report showing the expenditure of this appropriation.

In the same year, by joint resolution No. 10, Professor Winchell, designated as “late” State geologist, is required to turn over to the board of State auditors all instruments, material, and property of any description, of the State, used by him and his assistants; also, all specimens, and the geological survey was closed—leaving, as your committee believe, six thousand dollars of unexpended appropriations, and a considerable amount of geological labor and material half done, but yet extant, and in condition to be saved and made of practical use to the people of this State.

It will be seen from this condensed review that, aside from the 89 pages of the reports of February 1, 1841, and a few brief notices subsequent thereto, a period of twenty-eight years of general growth, prosperity, and development has been allowed to pass, and the richest mineral territory in iron and copper in the world has been left wholly unaided by State appropriations in the development of its gigantic possibilities. Is it any wonder that the enterprising people of that far away region, who have accomplished so much with such little means, grow restive in a connection that brings them no share of the public money derived from a common taxation, that has been profusely scattered over the lower half of the State, in the shape of Prisons, pg 115Reform Schools, Insane, Deaf, Dumb, and Blind Asylums, Normal School, Agricultural College, University, geological surveys, and internal improvements, and all the thousand and one ways that those nearest to the public treasury reach for its contents?

In the meanwhile, those hardy pioneers have labored and waited, until now, with a population of nearly 35,000, a capital invested in 112 companies for developing copper of $16,250,500, upon which has been paid dividends of $5,880,000, and an iron interest which, in the twelfth year of its commercial life, produced over one-fifth of all the iron mined in the United States, they have rights, and the State has duties—long-neglected duties—toward them, which it were wise to no longer neglect.

Your committee are of opinion that the State is fully able, and ought to be willing, to enter now upon an enlarged and liberal geologic survey of both peninsulas; that if but one can be undertaken, the Lake Superior country is entitled to the preference; and that the survey there, in addition to the duties usually assigned to such officials, should also include the statistics and history of the mineral, mining, smelting, manufacturing, and transportation interests; the compilation of accurate maps, showing the topography, geology, and timber, and the position of all mines, furnaces, and roads of the iron and copper region. Your committee would further note the fact that within the limits of the proposed survey, the State owns a large amount of swamp and school land, reserved from market on account of its supposed mineral value, the determination of which value is a matter of common interest to all the people, while the United States are also holders of large tracts of supposed mineral land, whose value is wholly unknown, as much of the data given by Foster and Whitney, nearly twenty years ago, is shown by private examination to have been erroneous and imperfect.

RAILROADS.

We have already alluded to the origin and building of the principal railroads of the State, and we now propose to speak of their success and present condition. The oldest and most successful is the Michigan Central. After passing into the hands of a private company it was extended to Chicago, a distance of 284 miles from Detroit; and in regard to its equipment, management, and general success it occupies a first-class position.

In May, 1849, it was completed and in operation from Detroit to New Buffalo. New Buffalo was a small village at the southern extremity of Lake Michigan, a few miles east of the present Michigan City. It has now entirely disappeared from the map. The Michigan Central Railroad terminated there, and from this point two daily lines of steamers ran to Chicago, a distance of nearly forty-five miles. The time between Chicago and New York became thus reduced to two and a half days. The Galena Railroad of Illinois was at that time completed and in operation from Chicago to Elgin, a distance of forty-two miles. The Galena Railroad Company for a time entertained the design of completing the Michigan Central road from New Buffalo into Chicago, but that was finally done by the Michigan Central Railroad Company themselves. On its line have sprung up a large number of beautiful towns and villages; the older places along the route have greatly increased, and the country through which it passes exhibits a degree of thrift and prosperity that will compare favorably with the most flourishing sections of the country. Its business arrangements are such that goods may now be shipped from Chicago to Portland, in Maine, with only one change of cars, and four passenger trains leave the two cities of Chicago pg 116and Detroit daily. The eastern terminus being at the latter city, it has full advantage of the various connections at that point, viz: The Great Western and Grand Trunk Railways, the important steamboat routes to Cleveland, Buffalo, and Lake Superior, and the different freight routes to the different lake ports of which Detroit is the nucleus. By means of what is called the “Joliet cut-off” it is connected with St. Louis by the “Chicago, Alton, and St. Louis Railroad.” As this is the leading railroad artery of the State we submit the following particulars furnished from an official source:

In reference to connections with other roads in the State of Michigan, it is evident that the managers are pursuing the wise policy of assisting such new lines as must increase the local business, and whose friendship must be permanently beneficial. In furtherance of these views, aid was given to the Jackson, Lansing, and Saginaw Railroad, which has now become a valuable ally; and also to the Grand River Valley Railroad, extending from Jackson to Grand Rapids, a distance of ninety-four miles. The latter road is now operated as the Grand River Valley Division of the Michigan Central Railroad, under terms of an agreement whereby certain money was advanced to complete and equip it, the lessees covenanting to pay the interest on its bonds, and a maximum rental after three years, equivalent to five per cent. upon its capital stock. Although this road has only been in working order for a short period it is earning a fair revenue and contributing a large and remunerative business to the main line. Arrangements have also been made with the directors of the Michigan Air-line Railroad for a lease of that portion of their road between Niles and Jackson, at a rental which should be equal to the interest on bonds which might be used in completing it, not exceeding $18,000 per mile, at eight per cent. interest. The distance by this line between Niles and Jackson is sixteen miles shorter than the one now in use, and renders the business of a rich section of country lying in many places twenty-five or thirty miles south of the Michigan Central Railroad directly tributary to it. The Peninsular Railway, extending from Battle Creek to Lansing; the Kalamazoo and South Haven Railroad, running from Kalamazoo to Bloomingdale; the Fort Wayne, Jackson, and Saginaw Railroad, and the Chicago and Michigan Lake Shore Railroad, are all valuable tributaries to the Michigan Central Railroad, especially the latter, which opens up the finest fruit-growing section of the State. Arrangements were made in 1869 conducing to more harmonious relations and greater unity of action between the Great Western Railway of Canada and the Michigan Central Railroad; and on January 1st, 1870, the eastern and western agencies of both roads were consolidated. The benefits of this consolidation are apparent in the reduction of expenses and in a more active co-operation for securing business; but the North Shore Route will be able to compete for traffic on much better terms when the projected line from Glencoe to Buffalo is built, and when it is able to obtain at the latter place benefits which are now only conceded to the South Shore Route in consequence of the rivalry existing between the New York Central and Erie Railroads. The new line from Glencoe to Buffalo will be nearly an air-line from Detroit, with easy grades, and can be operated very economically at a high rate of speed. It is estimated that the distance between New York and Chicago via Buffalo, Glencoe, Detroit, and the short cut-off between Niles and Jackson, alluded to before, will not exceed 900 miles, and that much faster time can be made over the new route than over the present short line via Pittsburg.

The Michigan Southern is another of the great lines of travel and freight transportation to which the State owes much of its prosperity. The history pg 117of this road, for which we are indebted to Henry M. Flint, Esq., afford another example of the benefits of railroad consolidation:

The Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad Company was formed on the 25th of April, 1855, by the consolidation of two railroads which had existed for some time previously, namely, the Michigan Southern railroad, and the Northern Indiana railroad. The Northern Indiana railroad, as it existed at the time of its consolidation with the Michigan Southern Railroad Company in 1855, originated in a company formed in Indiana, as early as 1835, under a charter from the State, as the Buffalo and Mississippi Railroad Company. The Northern Indiana Railroad Company commenced its operations in the year 1852, under the provisions of a charter from the State of Ohio, which was granted on the 3d of March, 1851. The Northern Indiana and Chicago railroad had also commenced its operations about the same time, under a charter from the State of Illinois. The three roads last named became merged into one about the year 1854, under the name of the Northern Railroad Company.

The Michigan Southern Railroad Company was formed under a charter from the State of Michigan, on the 9th of May, 1846, and in pursuance of an act authorizing the sale to them of the existing Michigan Southern railroad and the Jackson and Tecumseh Branch thereof, which were both owned and operated by the State of Michigan. The organization was completed, and the conditions of the act were complied with in December, 1846, so that the Michigan Southern Railroad Company entered into possession of the railroad and its branch that year. The railroad from Monroe westward was commenced by the State of Michigan about 1838, but it was only finished as far as Hillsdale at the time of its sale to the Michigan Southern Railroad Company in 1846. It was extended by that company in 1852 to the Indiana State line, near Middlebury, and was connected there with the Northern Indiana railroad. The latter road was completed to Chicago in June, 1852.

The Jackson and Tecumseh Branch was extended to Jackson in 1855, and a branch was built from Constantine, which was the terminus of the old Michigan Southern railroad, to Three Rivers, in Michigan, in 1853. The Goshen Branch forms part of the Goshen air-line from Toledo to Elkhart, where it makes connection with the old line from Chicago to Monroe.

The Erie and Kalamazoo railroad from Toledo to Adrian, leased from the Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad Company, is run and used as part of the main line of the Michigan Southern railroad from Chicago to Toledo. Part of the Detroit, Monroe, and Toledo railroad, which was mostly built by the Michigan Southern Railroad Company, and is exclusively controlled and operated by them, is used as far as Monroe as part of the Michigan Southern railroad from Chicago to Detroit. The Detroit, Monroe, and Toledo road is also used as a line from Detroit to Toledo, connecting at Toledo with roads to Cincinnati and Cleveland.

The number of miles of road now owned and operated by the Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad Company is as follows:

Toledo to Chicago via old line, 243; Toledo to Elkhart, air-line, 132; Detroit to Toledo, 65; Monroe to Adrian, 33; Jackson Branch, 42; Three Rivers Branch, sub-leased, 12. Total miles, 527.

In September, 1849, soon after the organization of the Michigan Southern Railroad Company, a statement was submitted to the stockholders by the Board of Directors, exhibiting the condition of the road and the finances of the company, and soliciting a new subscription of a quarter of a million of dollars to provide means for extending the road west from Hillsdale. A pg 118portion of the stock was subscribed, and in the spring of 1850 the line from Hillsdale to Coldwater, a distance of twenty-two miles, was put under contract. The road then in operation from Monroe to Hillsdale, a distance of sixty-nine miles, was that which had been originally constructed by the State of Michigan. It had a wooden rail covered by a flat bar of iron. The company had released the Erie and Kalamazoo road, extending from Adrian to Toledo, thirty-three miles in length, making a total of one hundred and eleven miles then operated by the company.

In the original grading of these roads the crossing of the valleys was effected, for the most part, by bridges of timber. Since that time, however, the whole extent of the tracks on these roads has been relaid with heavy rails, and the valleys on the route have been filled with permanent embankments, with new bridges and culverts for the streams and water-courses. Heavy expenses have also been incurred in providing abundant station accommodation all along the line.

In the summer of 1850 the line was put under contract from Coldwater to Sturgis, a distance of twenty-three miles, and in March, 1851, this portion of the road was completed and opened. Some delay was experienced in determining upon the location of the line west of Sturgis, and contracts for the remainder of the road in Michigan were not made until May, 1851. During the winter and spring of 1851 the Indiana road was put under contract. The Michigan Southern road was opened to White Pigeon in the latter part of July, 1851. The Northern Indiana road was opened in successive stages: During the fall of 1851, to South Bend, and on the 9th of January, 1852, to La Porte. In February, 1852, the road was opened from Michigan City to Ainsworth, in Illinois, and to Chicago in March, 1852. On the 22d of May, 1852, the entire line was opened, and a passenger train went through from Toledo to Chicago. Thus, in the space of twenty months, embracing two severe winters, the company constructed one hundred and sixty miles of new road, and relaid and nearly rebuilt fifty miles of old road.

The last act of legislation necessary to the consolidation of the companies owning the Michigan Southern and the Northern Indiana lines of railroad, was passed by the Michigan Legislature on the 13th of February, 1855; full authority therefor having previously been given by the States of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Immediately after the passage of the last-mentioned act, the necessary measures were taken to carry the same into effect, and on the 26th of April, 1855, the articles of consolidation were finally sanctioned and approved by the unanimous vote of the stockholders of the respective corporations.

Improvements of every kind at once sprang up in all directions, through the region in which the roads run. At Toledo, the new depot grounds were soon brought into use, and the whole business of that terminus was transferred to them. These grounds were situated on the Maumee river. At this point the Cleveland and Toledo railroad unites with the Michigan Southern. The inconvenient ferry which formerly existed at this point has long since been dispensed with, and in place of it a handsome bridge has been erected. This point is also the eastern terminus of the Toledo, Wabash and Western railroad, whose trains run into the passenger depot of the Michigan Southern road.

In February, 1868, a contract was entered into with the Erie railway, of New York, by the terms of which that company guarantees the building a broad gauge railroad from a point on the Atlantic and Great Western railway, near Akron, Ohio, to Toledo, Ohio, less than one hundred miles. The pg 119Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana railroad agree to lay a third rail on their line to Chicago, thus to perfect a broad gauge route from Chicago to New York by one of the shortest lines. The new road will be completed within a year, and will effect a revolution in travel between New York and Chicago, as the wide and comfortable cars of the Erie road can then carry passengers from one city to the other without change.

The next road which we have to mention is the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad, with which was incorporated the Detroit and Pontiac and the Oakland and Ottawa Railroads. It was first opened its entire distance, one hundred and eighty-eight miles, from Detroit to Grand Haven, in November, 1858. It has been the means of opening up one of the best farming regions of the State. The principal cities and towns upon its line are Pontiac, Fentonville, St. John’s, Ionia, Grand Rapids, and Grand Haven, and the growth of these places has received a great impetus since its completion; while numerous villages have also sprung into being, as if by magic, at numerous points along the line. These changes are plainly visible in the improved trade of Detroit, and the increase from the same cause must continue to be strongly marked. In 1858 the company completed one of the finest railroad wharves in the world: it is fifteen hundred feet long by ninety broad, the west end of which is occupied by the freight house, the dimensions of which are four hundred and fifty by one hundred and thirty-two feet. In connection with this road, at its western terminus—Grand Haven—splendid steamships ply regularly between that place and the city of Milwaukee, having the most sumptuous accommodations for passengers, together with ample room for all classes of freight.

The population of that section of Michigan which is directly tributary to or dependent upon the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad as a means of outlet is at the present time more than 250,000, having upward of one million acres of improved land. At Corunna, in Shiawassee county, the road crosses the immense bituminous coal bed, which stretches throughout the central portion of the State, and which is undoubtedly destined, at no very distant day, to prove a source of immense business to the road and of wealth to the mine owners. Opening, as it does, a road through the very heart of the State, and intersecting for two hundred miles much good farming land, the local business alone is now, and is destined to be, truly immense. The cost of this road was a little more than nine millions of dollars.

Although isolated and not extensive the Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad deserves a brief notice for what it has accomplished for the Saginaw valley. In 1856, when Congress adopted a general system of donations of the public lands in the Western States to aid in constructing railroads, lands were granted to Michigan for a similar purpose. In 1857 these lands were conferred by the Legislature upon the Pere Marquette Company, which surveyed the route of its road from Flint to Pere Marquette, in the county of Mason, upon the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, a distance of one hundred and seventy-two miles, and located the line in the summer of 1857. In September of that year, the commercial world was fearfully convulsed, and, owing to the constant disasters, the work of construction was not commenced until the fall of 1858. In the following year some thirteen miles of road were graded, and five miles of track was laid with Michigan iron manufactured at Wyandotte. The next year, 1858, the work of grading was continued, but the financial difficulties of the times were such as to preclude the company from obtaining their iron that season so as to extend the track. In 1860 the time had expired wherein the company were to complete the first twenty miles of the road, so as to entitle it to the benefit of the law of pg 120the State conferring upon the companies the lands granted by Congress to aid in its construction. In this dilemma, with the apprehension of a possible forfeiture being declared by the State, the company received from the governor and other influential officers and citizens of the State, such assurances of good will, that no advantage or exception would be taken if the company would prosecute the enterprise in good faith, and the contractors were induced to proceed and complete the first twenty-six and a half miles of the route.

Another State railroad is that of Amboy, Lansing, and Traverse Bay, which is designed to connect the great northern lumber region of the State with the markets of Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois. Although not belonging to Michigan, the great Canadian railways have exerted an important effect upon its prosperity, and the official intercourse between the managers of the Great Western and Grand Trunk roads and those of Michigan has been honorable as well as profitable to all the parties concerned.

The condition of the new railroads in the State on the first of January, 1870, was, in substance, as follows: The Allegan and Holland road, twenty-two miles long, was completed. The Flint and Pere Marquette road is expected to be finished as far as Henry, one hundred and twenty miles, before the year 1871. The Grand Rapids and Indiana road is expected to be completed before the close of 1870. The Michigan Air-line road is finished from Three Rivers to Centreville; and the Grand Rapids and Lake Shore road is progressing with despatch to Pentwater. In June, 1870, the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad was completed; it is one hundred and fifty miles in length, and is the connecting link between Duluth and St. Paul. Steamers of a large class now leave Cleveland and Detroit almost daily for Duluth, a distance of one thousand miles, making landings at all the American ports on Lakes Huron and Superior; and this new route to the far Northwest not only promises to be eminently popular with summer tourists, but will become a favorite line of travel for all emigrants bound to the head-waters of the Mississippi. On the 1st of August, 1870, it was announced that the State of Michigan had in operation not less than thirteen hundred and twenty-five miles of railroad, the cost and equipment of which was estimated at about $60,000,000; but with this fact we have to chronicle the following information: In the spring of 1870 the Supreme Court of Michigan decided that a certain act of the Legislature, passed in 1864, authorizing municipalities to issue bonds in aid of railroad companies was unconstitutional, and the bonds issued under said act invalid. On the 27th of July following the Legislature met in extraordinary session for the purpose of considering this question; and although the Governor in his message proposed that the said bonds should be made good, the Legislature by a decided vote refused to entertain the proposition. The debt thus set aside was stated to amount to $5,367,175.50, equivalent to a tax of $27.44 per capita on the total vote of the State at the preceding Presidential election. In September, 1870, the Fort Wayne, Jackson, and Saginaw railroad was completed, the distance from Jackson to Fort Wayne being 95 miles; at the latter place it is connected with the Jackson, Lansing, and Saginaw road, of which it virtually forms a part, the two lines making a distance of 211 miles. The lines of railroad which have been surveyed, but are not yet completed, amount to 968 miles.

LUMBERING INTEREST.

The pine forests of Michigan are a leading feature of its undeveloped wealth, and yet it has been estimated that its hard-wood forests are equally pg 121extensive and valuable. The pine lands are so located and distributed as to bring almost every portion of the State, sooner or later, in connection with the commerce of the lakes. The pine timber is generally interspersed with many other varieties, such as beach, maple, white ash, oak, cherry, etc., and in most cases the soil is suited to agricultural purposes. This is particularly the case on the western slope of the peninsula, on the waters of Lake Michigan, and along the central portion of the State. On the east and near Lake Huron, the pine districts are more extensively covered with pine timber, and generally not so desirable for farming purposes. There are good farming lands, however, all along the coast of Lake Huron, and extending back into the interior.

A large portion of the pine lands of the State are in the hands of the St. Mary Canal Company and individuals, who are holding them as an investment, and it is no detriment to this great interest, that the whole State has been thus explored and the choicest of the lands secured. The developments which have thus been made of the quality and extent of the pine districts, have given stability and confidence to the lumbering interest. And these lands are not held at exorbitant prices, but are sold upon fair and reasonable terms, such as practical business men and lumbermen will not usually object to.

It is a remarkable fact that almost every stream of water in the State, north of Grand river, penetrates a district of pine lands, and the mouths of nearly all these streams are already occupied with lumbering establishments of greater or less magnitude. These lumber colonies are the pioneers, and generally attract around them others who engage in agriculture, and thus, almost imperceptibly, the agricultural interests of the State are spreading and developing in every direction. The want of suitable means of access alone prevents the rapid settlement of large and fertile districts of the State, which are not unknown to the more enterprising and persevering pioneers, who have led the way through the wilderness, and are now engaged almost single-handed in their labors, not shrinking from the privations and sufferings which are sure to surround these first settlements in the new districts.

The Grand Traverse region, with its excellent soil, comparatively mild climate, and abundance of timber of every description, is attracting much attention, and extensive settlements have already commenced in many localities in that region. The coast of Lake Michigan, from Grand river north, for upwards of one hundred miles to Manistee river, presents, generally, a barren, sandy appearance, the sand hills of that coast almost invariably shutting out from the view the surrounding country.

North of the Manistee, however, this characteristic of the coast changes, and the hard timber comes out to the lake and presents a fine region of country, extending from Lake Michigan to Grand Traverse Bay, and beyond, embracing the head waters of the Manistee river. This large tract of agricultural land is one of the richest portions of the State, and having throughout its whole extent extensive groves of excellent pine timber interspersed, it is one of the most desirable portions of the peninsula. Grand Traverse Bay, the Manistee river, and River Aux Becs Scies are the outlets for the pine timber, and afford ample means of communication between the interior and the lake for such purposes. The proposed State roads will, if built, do much towards the settlement of this region. A natural harbor, which is being improved by private enterprise, is found at the mouth of the River Aux Becs Scies, and a new settlement or town has been started at this point. This is a natural outlet for a considerable portion of the region just described. The lands here, as in other localities in the new portions pg 122of the State, are such as must induce a rapid settlement whenever the means of communication shall be opened.

The valley of the Muskegon embraces every variety of soil and timber, and is one of the most attractive portions of the peninsula. The pine lands upon this river are scattered all along the valleys in groups or tracts containing several thousand acres each, interspersed with hard timber, and surrounded by fine agricultural lands.

The Pere Marquette river and White river, large streams emptying into Lake Michigan, pass through a region possessing much the same characteristics. This whole region rests on a lime rock, has a rich soil, and is well watered with living springs, resembling, in many features, the Grand river valley. Beds of gypsum have been discovered on the head waters of the Pere Marquette.

The unsettled counties in the northern portion of the State, the northern portion of Montcalm and Gratiot, Isabella, Gladwin, Clair, and a portion of Midland, are not inferior to any other portion. There is a magnificent body of pine stretching from the head of Flat river, in Montcalm county, to the upper waters of the Tittabawassee, and growing upon a fine soil, well adapted to agriculture. This embraces a portion of the Saginaw valley, and covers the high ground dividing the waters of Lakes Huron and Michigan.

The eastern slope of the peninsula embraces a variety of soil and timber somewhat different, in its general features, from other portions of the State. The pine lands of this region are near the coast of the lake, and lie in large tracts, but with good agricultural land adjoining.

There are in the lower peninsula, in round numbers, about twenty-four million acres of land. Taking Houghton lake, near the centre of the State, as a point of view, the general surface may be comprehended as follows: The Muskegon valley to the southwest, following the Muskegon river in its course to Lake Michigan. The western slope of the peninsula directly west, embracing the pine and agricultural districts along the valleys of several large streams emptying into Lake Michigan. The large and beautiful region to the northwest, embracing the valley of the Manistee and the undulating lands around Grand Traverse Bay. Northward, the region embraces the head waters of the Manistee and Au Sauble, with the large tracts of excellent pine in that locality, and beyond, the agricultural region extending to Little Traverse Bay and the Straits of Mackinaw. To the northeast, the valley of the Au Sauble and the pine region of Thunder Bay. To the east, the pine and hard timber extending to Saginaw Bay. To the southeast, the Saginaw valley; and to the south, the high lands before described in the central counties.

Thus we have yet undeveloped over half of the surface of this peninsula, embracing certainly twelve to fifteen millions of acres, possessing stores of wealth in the timber upon its surface, reserving the soil for the benefit of those who, as the means of communication are opened, will come in and possess it, and thus introduce property into the region. It is estimated that one-tenth of the area north of the Grand river is embraced in the pine region. The swamp lands granted to the State will probably cover nearly double the area of the pine lands proper, the remainder, for the most part, being covered with a growth of hard timber suited to the necessities of the increasing population. It has been estimated that in good years the pine lumber of the State yields not far from ten millions of dollars, and yet it is thought that the various hard woods might be made to yield a larger income. For example, the region around Saginaw Bay is perhaps the most pg 123remarkable locality in the world in regard to the quality and variety of its hard-wood timber. There, for nearly a hundred miles in extent, upon streams debouching into the bay, are dense forests of the choicest oak, with a great profusion of hickory, black walnut, white ash, white wood, bird’s-eye maple, red elm, and other valuable varieties. The manufacture of agricultural implements will probably, in the future, be extensively carried on in this region. The profusion of this growth is only equalled by its accessibility to market, by the streams upon which it abounds. But hard-wood forests are found in other parts of the State, which are nearly as valuable as those of the Saginaw region. And to crown all, it has been demonstrated that the lumber manufactured in Michigan, including all its varieties, is unsurpassed in its soundness and durability by that of any other in the country. In the lumber districts of the eastern shore there are 212 saw-mills with an invested capital of $6,822,000, which in 1869 cut 738,641,700 feet of lumber, 149,901,000 laths, and 243,820,000 shingles. Number of men employed at mills, 5,204. In the lumber woods it is estimated that 10,250 men were employed at wages varying from $20 to $25 per month with board; mill labor, $2 and $2.50 per day. The western shore lumber region includes the districts of Muskegon, Manistee, Ottawa, and Oceana. About 1,000 men are employed in the mills at Muskegon, exclusive of men in the woods. In that district 260,000,000 feet of lumber were cut in 1869. The products of the other districts in 1869 are not given, but they produced in 1869 480,000,000 feet of lumber and, 250,000,000 laths. The season’s work on the Black river, it is estimated, was about 100,000,000 feet of logs, including a few million feet left over from the previous season. The progress which the lumber trade is making in the northern part of the southern peninsula is said to be remarkable.

In concluding this chapter, we may with propriety make an allusion to the climate of the State. As the presence of the ocean tends to mitigate the excessive temperature of the Atlantic slope, so do the great lakes exercise a similar influence over the two peninsulas of Michigan, lessening the winter’s cold and the summer’s heat. The temperature of the State has been fixed as follows:

Ann Arbor.—Spring, 45.5; summer, 66.3; autumn, 48.4; winter, 25.3; year, 46.4.

Fort Brady.—Spring, 37.6; summer, 62.0; autumn, 43.5; winter, 18.3; year, 40.4.

The annual precipitation of rain is as follows:

Ann Arbor.—Spring, 7.30; summer, 11.20; autumn, 7.00; winter, 3.10; year, 28.60.

Mackinac.—Spring, 4.67; summer, 8.88; autumn, 9.01; winter, 3.31; year, 23.87.

Fort Brady.—Spring, 5.44; summer, 9.97; autumn, 10.76; winter, 5.18; year, 31.35.

With these facts before us, and remembering what has been recorded respecting the soil and vegetable productions of Michigan, and its peculiar position, it would seem that so far as the climate of the State is concerned, we are warranted in coming to the conclusion that it is a most fortunate region of country. If the more southern portions, in this respect, are found to be on a par with the neighboring States of Ohio and Indiana, when we come to look at the northern peninsula we find it abounding in charms which are peculiarly its own, unless we admit northern Wisconsin into the partnership. Those portions of the State which are washed by the northern part of Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Superior, and where the pine pg 124forests abound, have but two seasons, summer and winter. In September the wild geese and other water-fowl commence their migrations; in October the first snows appear, and these, with the dense woods, retain a warmth in the soil until the opening of spring; and, although the thermometer may fall to -30°, the dry, cold, and elastic winds rob the temperature of its intensity, so far as it relates to the human system. And then, during the long winter nights, the wonderful Northern Lights come forth in all their pomp; and after they have delighted and bewildered us with their beauty and splendor, would seem to say to the dwellers in Southern Michigan, who are wont to boast of their bright skies, brilliant sunsets, and matchless Indian summer, that to the North belong the chief glory of these phenomena of the seasons. It is in winter, too, and in the North, that the wild animals attain their greatest perfection—the beaver his coat of velvet, and the partridge and owl their snow-white plumage. In April the lakes and streams are released from their icy fetters, and summer, without oppressive heat, but with charming influences and associations, then comes forth like a queen, and spreads a quiet gladness from lake to lake and from shore to shore, and when once enjoyed, can never be forgotten.

THE FISHERIES.

Hemmed in, as is the State of Michigan, by four of the largest lakes in the world, and all of them filled with the purest water, it is not to be wondered at that its fisheries should have become an important item in its commerce. We have not the data to give an accurate account of the yield of fish, but we can safely say that they bring in a revenue of more than a million of dollars per annum, give employment to many hundred men and boats, and find a ready market in the States of Ohio and Indiana, as well as Michigan itself. The most important fish taken in these waters is the white fish, and while the largest proportion of them are salted, large numbers of them are sold in a fresh state, and are popular in markets as distant as Washington city, whither they are sent, neatly packed in ice. They are found in the straits and all the lakes; are taken with seines, gill nets, trap nets, and with spears, but never with the hook. They are celebrated for their edible qualities, and in the Western States occupy a similar position to that of the shad along the Atlantic coast. Their average weight is from three to five pounds, but specimens are occasionally taken weighing fifteen pounds.

The Detroit river white fish—in the capture and shipment of which Mr. George Clark has become celebrated—are more juicy and better flavored than those caught in the upper lakes, probably from the fact that they feed on more delicate food, but those found in Lake Superior surpass all others in size. They were once so numerous that eight thousand were taken at a single haul. At present a haul of one or two thousand is thought a very good one. In all the rivers they are growing scarce very gradually, but surely. The ratio of decrease cannot be arrived at with any degree of precision. A few years ago they were mostly taken with gill nets, and when they fell off in one place, a corresponding increase would be found in another. Now they are taken with trap nets along the shore. The trap nets are a decided advantage over gill nets. They allow the fish to be kept alive, and then are taken out at leisure; they are, therefore, of better quality.

Pickerel.—This variety is also held in high esteem. They are good, either fresh or salted and dried, and for packing rank next in value to pg 125white, although held nominally at the same price as trout when packed. They generally run up the rivers and lakes in the spring to spawn, where they are caught in considerable numbers. Average weight, two pounds, although occasionally weighing ten pounds.

Lake or Mackinaw Trout.—This species are as voracious as pickerel. They are chiefly caught in Lake Huron with gill nets and hooks. Saginaw bay appears to be a favorite resort with them. Some winters, large quantities are caught in the bay through the ice, with a decoy fish and spear. They spawn in the fall, generally in the bays and inlets. Average weight, five pounds; large specimens reaching seventy-five pounds.

Siscowit.—These are mostly found in Lake Superior, and are preferred by some to any other kind. They are of the trout family, and for fat are unequalled; they are mostly taken in gill nets. They spawn in the fall, and are very superior for packing. They are also of some value for their oil. Common weight, four pounds.

Large Herring.—These are very good fish, found only in the straits and large lakes. They spawn in the fall; but few are caught. Average weight, one pound and three-quarters.

In addition to the above, the muscalonge—a large and delicious variety—black and white bass, rock bass, perch, sturgeon, catfish, eels, gar, mullet, sucker, perch, sunfish, as well as the lovely and valuable common trout, and many other kinds abound in the waters of Michigan.

White fish are taken both in the spring and fall, chiefly the latter; spring is the season for pickerel; trout are taken at all seasons.

The localities where the commercial fish abound are numerous, but the following are the most important, and we mention them in the order of their importance: Mackinaw, Detroit river, Au Sauble, Thunder Bay, Saginaw Bay, Beaver Islands, Grand Haven, St. Joseph, Michigan City, Green Bay, Saugatuck, Point Sauble, White Lake, and Port Huron. The total proceeds, as already mentioned, of all the Michigan fisheries is estimated at more than one million of dollars per annum.

That the fishing business of the great lakes is yet in its infancy must be apparent to all who reflect upon the inexhaustible supplies to be found in these lakes and their tributaries; and for this kind of food the surrounding market is almost without a limit. The barrels for packing constitute no inconsiderable item of this vast and constantly growing trade. Their manufacture is a regular branch of business in some localities, but large numbers are also made by the fishermen themselves when not engaged upon the waters. The nets employed come chiefly from Massachusetts, and the large item of salt used is obtained from within the limits of the State. Of the men who originated the trade on Lake Huron, perhaps none have been more successful than Mr. Harvey Williams, of Saginaw. Around Mackinaw, on Lakes Superior and Michigan, the more successful men engaged in the business have been the Canadian French and Norwegians, the last of whom are wont to perform exploits upon the stormy waters which sometimes astonish the natives of the surrounding shores. It has been estimated by the more sanguine citizens of Michigan that the value of her fisheries, when fully developed, will exceed the product of all the interior States of the Union added together; but however that may be, the fact remains that Michigan has been bountifully treated by the hand of Nature in this particular, as well as in many others, and it should not falter in its duty as a faithful steward.

COMMERCE.

As nearly all the interests hitherto touched upon in this compilation are pg 126directly connected with the commerce of the State, there is but little to add in further illustration of that subject. It is admitted on all sides that there is not a State in the Union which surpasses Michigan in her commercial advantages, and if her natural resources are properly fostered and developed they will keep her for a long time to come in the van of prosperous commonwealths. She is also unequalled among the States in the extent of her coast line, which measures about fourteen hundred miles, and her natural harbors are numerous, and, generally speaking, so favorably located as to require but little expense or labor to make them available in all seasons for all classes of shipping.

The combined area of all the great lakes, according to Professor J. W. Foster, is approximately estimated to exceed 90,000 square miles, and the depression in most of them is sufficiently profound to reach below the seabed. The following table, though not strictly accurate, is believed to embrace their prominent features, and are the latest conclusions arrived at by scientific men:

In the absence of minute and authentic statistics respecting the shipping of the State, we can only draw conclusions from isolated particulars. For example, the commercial value of wheat passed through the St. Mary canal in 1856, the year after it was completed, was not less than five millions of dollars. In 1854 Lake Superior boasted of two steamboats and five sailing vessels, but at the end of two years from that date there were forty steamers and sixteen sail vessels upon its waters. In 1839 the number of steamboats which navigated the great lakes was fifty-four, and in splendor of equipments many of them, such as the Michigan and Illinois, the Detroit, the Western World, Plymouth Rock, Buckeye, and Sandusky, the Cleveland, and the Buffalo, were at that time unsurpassed by any other vessels of their kind in the United States, the burthen of several of them measuring two thousand tons. In 1827 there were only three steamers running from Detroit to Buffalo during an entire week, but in 1855, when that class of ships was mostly popular, there were from eight to ten departures from Detroit every day. The Walk-in-the-Water, Captain Jedediah Rogers, the celebrated pioneer steamer, arrived at Detroit May 20, 1819, and she occupied a whole week in making one trip to Black Rock, advertising to touch at all the towns on the American side of Lake Erie. She was wrecked near Buffalo in 1821. In 1855 the two miles of wharf at Detroit were hardly sufficient to accommodate the shipping of that port, but the steamboat business has of late years been materially interfered with by the numerous lines of railroad. In 1859 the total number of vessels navigating the waters of the five great lakes, which all paid some tribute to Michigan, was more than sixteen hundred, and their aggregate burthen was over four hundred thousand tons. They were manned by over thirteen thousand seamen, navigating over five pg 127thousand miles of lake and river coast, and transporting over six hundred millions of exports and imports. To use the language of W. P. Strickland, the State of Michigan is the greatest lumber region in the world, not only on account of its interminable forests, but for getting its lumber product to market. With a lake coast, on the lower peninsula alone, of more than one thousand miles—with numberless water-courses emptying at convenient distances into her inland seas—she enjoys advantages which many empires might envy. Her white-winged carriers are sent to almost every point of the compass with the product of her forests, which, wherever it may go, is the sign of improvement and progress; while by the large expenditures involved in the manufacture of lumber and the employment of thousands of hardy laborers, the general prosperity is materially enhanced and a market opened within her own borders for a considerable share of the productions of her own soil. In 1867, or two years after the rebellion, the total tonnage of the United States was 3,957,514, and the total amount assigned to the State of Michigan was 112,797, or to the district of Detroit 87,999, Mackinaw 2,703, Port Huron 14,662, and the district known as Michigan 9,433.

Within the last few years the European consumers of grain and other products have been convinced that their wants can be supplied with promptness, and to a large extent from the State of Michigan alone. Her resources are amply sufficient to afford employment for half a century to a tenfold larger number of vessels than have hitherto been employed. The foreign ports to which shipments of lumber and staves have been made are Liverpool, Cork, Greenock, Glasgow, London, Hamburg, Cadiz, and Calais; and to many of them large shipments have been made of flour and grain, but chiefly to Liverpool. Surrounded as it is on three sides by navigable waters, the State of Michigan is favorably situated for carrying on an extensive commerce. The total lake trade of the State, valued at $30,000,000 in 1851, was in 1863 estimated at $65,000,000, notwithstanding the fact that the development of the gigantic railroads of the West has absorbed a large portion of the trade that would otherwise have been conducted through the lakes. The great mining district of the northern peninsula, to which as yet no railroad has been constructed, finds an outlet for its productions only through the lakes, and yearly adds a large quota to the already heavy commerce of the State. The shipping, estimated in 1850 at 38,144 tons, was in 1863 increased to upwards of 100,000 tons. The internal and transit trade of the State, by means of its railroads, etc., is also immense, and has been largely increased since the completion of the great Canadian lines of railroad.

As bearing directly upon the commerce of Michigan, the following general remarks respecting the later developments in the aspect of the country are worthy of consideration:

That section of the State known as the “Northern Peninsula,” lying between Lake Superior and Lake Michigan is three hundred and sixty miles long, and from thirty-six to one hundred and twenty miles wide. This portion of the State is as yet comparatively unsettled, though its advantages are such as to induce a rapid immigration. The general surface is much diversified by mountains, hills, valleys, and plains. The eastern portion to the “pictured rocks,” is undulating, rising gradually from the lakes to the interior, where it assumes the character of an elevated table-land. Westward the country becomes broken into hills, with intervening plains, until it is interrupted by the Porcupine Mountains, which form the dividing ridge separating the waters of Lake Superior from those of Lake Michigan. The pg 128highest peaks toward the western boundary are from one thousand eight hundred to two thousand feet high. The ridge is often broken through by the larger streams, bordered by extensive valleys. The spurs of these mountains project in different directions, often exhibiting their denuded cliffs upon the northern shores. The greater portion of the peninsula, the sand plains excepted, is covered with immense forests, principally of white and yellow pine. Of the pine lands, there are millions of acres stretching between the Saute de Ste. Marie and the Ontonagon and Montreal rivers. The country is abundantly supplied with water, and though none of the streams are large, yet they furnish immense power, and the means of internal navigation. The head branches of those flowing in different directions frequently interlock. The lake coast of this section of the State is estimated at between seven hundred and eight hundred miles in length, and it is believed that five-sevenths of the entire peninsula may be reached by the common lake vessels.

The “Southern Peninsula,” which is four hundred and twelve miles long by from fifty to three hundred in width, has generally a level or rolling surface, in some parts broken and hilly. The eastern portion, for a distance varying from five to twenty-five miles from the shore, is almost a dead level, but westward the land rises into an irregular ridge, in some parts attaining the height of six hundred or seven hundred feet above the level. This ridge has much greater proximity to the eastern than to the western shore, and serves to separate the waters flowing into the lakes on each side. The portion of the southern part of the State denominated hilly, branches off from the principal ridge in different directions through the adjoining country. The hills consist of an irregular assemblage of somewhat conical elevations, occasionally attaining the height of one hundred and fifty or two hundred feet, but ordinarily of not more than from thirty to forty feet. The main portion of the table-land passing westward to Lake Michigan, with the exceptions noted, assumes a very gradual descent, exhibiting a gently undulating and very rarely broken surface. The ridge of land before spoken of again takes a rise near the mouth of Au Sauble river, and is seen from the lake to stretch on for many miles along and beyond the coast. It has been considered the highest land of the region, and is certainly the most rugged part of the lower peninsula. Taking the great extent of this peninsula into consideration, however, it may, in a comparative point of view, be said to possess a great evenness of surface, with a sufficient declivity, nevertheless, to allow the waters to drain off in lively and healthy streams. The coasts, both towards Lakes Michigan and Huron, are sometimes exhibited in high, steep banks, and those of the former are frequently seen in bluffs and sand hills, varying from one hundred to three hundred feet in height.

Among the citizens of Michigan who have long been paying special attention to the geographical and other interests of the State of Michigan is Albert D. Rust, editor of the Michigan Advance; and he has divided the resources of the State into five classes, as follows:

1st. Mining. 2d. Fruit culture. 3d. Manufacture of salt. 4th. Manufacture of lumber. 5th. Agriculture. He believes that the cultivation of the soil will eventually be the most independent and remunerative of all occupations.

As the ship canal of St. Mary is now performing an important part in developing the commerce of Michigan, the subjoined facts, taken from the inaugural message of Governor Baldwin, will be read with interest:

The gross earnings of the canal for 1867 were $33,515.54. This was $10,446 more than was received in 1866. Of this increase, $4,666.96 were pg 129the result of the increase of the rate of tolls from 4½ to 6 cents per ton upon the tonnage of steamers.

The entire receipts for tolls for the year 1868 were $25,977.14; being $7,538.40 less than the year before. This falling off was owing, in a great degree, to the exceedingly depressed condition of the copper mining interest.

The canal had been in operation fourteen seasons prior to 1869. Very considerable repairs had been made during the two preceding years, which, with those now being prosecuted, will place it in as good condition as the wear and tear of this length of time would allow.

The board of control in 1868 authorized it to be dredged, to clear it of the mud and stone which had been borne down by the ice and current. Three hundred feet of a new pier were to be built on the north side, at its western terminus. The valves of the lock gates and the slope walls were to be repaired and improved. These improvements to be made under the charge of the superintendent, during the winter months.

This canal, though located in Michigan and under State control, is a national work, and of great national importance. At the time of its projection it was supposed to be of sufficient capacity for the transit of any vessels which the trade of Lake Superior would ever require, or which could pass through the shallow waters of the St. Clair Flats or the St. Mary river.

For the removal of these river and lake obstructions Congress has made large appropriations, and the work is now in progress.

Already the commerce which has been developed along the shores of Lake Superior has become so extended that the class of vessels which has been found most advantageous to be used in this trade cannot be loaded to their full capacity, for the lack of sufficient depth of water in the canal.

The great Northwest is yet in its infancy. Population is pressing into the States and Territories with wonderful rapidity. A railroad is already being constructed from the Mississippi, at St. Paul, to the head of Lake Superior, (completed in 1870,) which, during the season of navigation, must make this canal the great outlet for the products of northern Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the Territories beyond. Should the Northern Pacific railroad be constructed, Lake Superior would become emphatically the key to the Northwest, and thus this canal, as its outlet, of still greater national importance.

Although this is a national work, Michigan—not alone the upper peninsula, but the whole State—is deeply interested in its improvement, and in all that will tend to make it the great avenue of the trade of Lake Superior and the Northwest. Since its construction, other avenues have been opened, through which no small portion of the trade and wealth of this region is being diverted to other States.

As not out of place in this connection, we submit a few particulars respecting the indebtedness of the State. On the first of January, 1867, the debt of Michigan amounted to $3,976,185, and in July, 1870, it had been reduced to $2,444,528. Besides this, the county and municipal debts of the State incurred during the late war, have been greatly reduced. There have also been large reductions in the rates of taxation. In 1867, the apportioned taxes amounted to $880,739, but before the close of 1868 they had been reduced to $713,747; and in 1869 the apportionment had been reduced to $465,264. The State derives its revenues from direct taxation, and also from specific taxes. The specific taxes are paid by railroads, mining companies, Masonic lodges, banks, insurance, and express companies, etc. These taxes yield annually an increasing revenue, which does not come pg 130directly from the pockets of the people, but from rich corporations; and these taxes are devoted to paying the interest and principal of the State indebtedness. The revenue from these specific taxes, in 1866, was $101,606.88; in 1867, it was $251,325.42; 1868, $280,952.07; in 1869, the law taxing National bank shares having been pronounced by the courts illegal, it fell to $268,530.51. As the wealth of the State increases, the revenue from these sources must constantly grow, unless the rates are diminished. And the last report of the Auditor-General shows that, within another year, it is likely the specific taxes alone will yield sufficient revenue to provide for the State debt, so that the people may be entirely relieved of direct taxation on that account. With regard to the Banking institutions of the State, we may mention that the National Banks number forty-two, and have a capital of $5,535,000; State Banks two, with a capital of $200,000; and the private Banking Houses and Savings Institutions also number forty-two; and there are in the State thirty Insurance Companies.

THE INDIANS AND ANTIQUITIES OF THE STATE.

As a matter of convenience, we submit in this place a few particulars respecting the Indians and the antiquities of Michigan. The total number of the former, consisting of Chippewas, Ottawas, and Pottawatomies, is about twelve thousand, among whom are located a few schools, supported by the Methodist, Presbyterian, and Roman Catholic denominations.

The Government pays to these Indians annually, in cash annuities, about $40,000, and in goods $3,000. It also pays for the support of schools, for smiths and smith-shop supplies, and for agricultural and mechanical purposes, some $20,000, and for agency expenses, including salary of agent and assistant, pay of interpreters, etc., nearly $8,000. Thus, the annual disbursements for Indian purposes in the State amount to something over seventy thousand dollars.

The Chippewas of Lake Superior mostly reside in Houghton county, near the head of Keweenaw bay. The Ottawas and Chippewas are principally in the counties of Oceana, Mason, Grand Traverse, Emmet, Cheboygan, Mackinaw, and Chippewa. The Chippewas of Saginaw, Swan creek, and Black river, are mostly in the counties of Isabella and Bay. The Chippewas, Ottawas, and Pottawatomies are in Cass and Van Buren counties, and the Pottawatomies of Huron are in Calhoun county.

The early history of the State is replete with accounts of the labors of the old French missions. Many were the lives sacrificed and privations encountered by these men to win the native tribes to the standard of the cross. So long as the missionary was in their midst and superintended their labors, they yielded to his guidance and adopted his recommendations, so far, at least, as conduced to their comfort; but when he withdrew, with equal facility they glided into their former habits. The superstructure raised with so much care fell to the ground the moment the sustaining hand was withdrawn. At present, with the exception of a few points in the upper peninsula, there are to be found few traces of the Catholic religion among the Indians of the State.

As a general thing, it is impossible to induce them to conform to the usages of civilized life, and, except in the manufacture of a few baskets and the supply of a few furs, we see no evidence of their industry.

The effect of the contact of the two races has been to afford the Indian additional incentives to vice, while his intellectual and moral elevation has pg 131been little advanced; and at this day, it cannot be said that he stands higher in the scale of civilization than when first known by the white man.

With regard to the antiquities of the State of Michigan, it affords us pleasure to submit the following, which has been supplied to us by the writer:

In common with her sister States of the great West, Michigan can boast of her antiquities, the undoubted remains of a great people, who claimed for their land, long anterior to the so-called “aborigines”—a people of whom the earliest known Indians have no traditions. Of a precisely similar character with the “tumuli,” “forts,” and “mounds” of the Ohio valley, are the ancient remains in Michigan, and in addition to these are the remains of ancient “gardens”—traces of which are found in no other portion of the continent so distinctly marked as those of southern Michigan. The ancient “mounds,” the probable use of which has given rise to more controversy than any of the other antiquities of the country, are of quite frequent occurrence in Michigan, being found in all parts of the State, especially upon or near the banks of the large rivers—the St. Joseph, Kalamazoo, Grand, Raisin, and Huron. The so-called “forts” are but seldom met with, and are uniformly of small dimensions, the principal ones being in the southeast, along the shores of the Detroit, Huron, and Raisin rivers, and occasionally upon Lake Erie, between the Detroit and Maumee rivers. The gardens are found principally in the rich prairies and “oak-openings” of southern Michigan, where their antiquity is clearly evinced by the fact that in the centre of the garden beds immense oak trees, evidently several hundred years old, are found growing. In the counties of St. Joseph, Cass, and Berrien, there are many of these ancient gardens still in excellent preservation, and having undoubted traces of their original uses.

In addition to the remains above alluded to, there are to be found in the great iron and copper mining regions of the northern peninsula, the most indisputable evidences that this region was once inhabited by a race superior in every respect to the American Indians of the present day—a race that understood the mode of working and the value of metals. The high antiquity of the evidences of ancient mining discovered by the present copper and iron miners of the Keweenaw, Ontonagon, and Marquette districts is inferred not only from the fact that the existing race of Indians were in perfect ignorance of the locality of the mines until pointed out by the whites, but that the ancient stone and metal tools discovered are entirely unlike anything now in use by the Indians in any part of the country. Still another evidence is had, as is the case with the gardens of southern Michigan, in the fact that trees of the largest size, evidently at least five hundred years old, are found growing upon the piles of rubbish that must have been thrown from the mines by the ancient miners. In the winter of 1847, while passing over a portion of the location now occupied by the Minnesota Mining Company, Mr. Samuel Knapp, the intelligent agent of the company, observed a continuous depression of the soil, which he rightly conjectured was caused by the disintegration of a vein. There was a bed of snow on the ground three feet in depth, but it had been so little disturbed by the wind that it conformed to the inequalities of the surface. Following up these indications along the southern escarpment of the hill, where the company’s works are now erected, he came to a longitudinal cavern, into which he crept. He saw numerous evidences to convince him that this was an artificial excavation, and at a subsequent day, with the assistance of two or three men, proceeded to explore it. In clearing out the rubbish they found numerous stone hammers, showing clearly that they were the mining implements pg 132of a past race. The following spring he explored another excavation in the neighborhood, which was twenty-six feet deep, filled with clay and a mass of decayed vegetable matter. When he had penetrated to the depth of eighteen feet he came to a mass of native copper, ten feet long, three feet wide, and nearly two feet thick, weighing over six tons. On digging around it the mass was found to rest on billets of oak, supported by sleepers of the same wood. The ancient miners had evidently raised the mass about five feet, and then abandoned it as too laborious. The vein was wrought in the form of an open trench, and where the copper was most abundant the excavation extended deepest. The rubbish taken from the mine is thrown out in mounds, which can easily be distinguished from the surrounding ground, and upon which large trees are now growing. In various other localities of the northern peninsula the most convincing traces are discovered, that go to prove that the mines were extensively worked by an intelligent race—at least far more intelligent than the present Indians. The workings appear to have been effected by the use of stone hammers and wedges, specimens of which are to be found in the greatest abundance in the vicinity of the mines. In some instances there are traces of fire, and pieces of charcoal have been discovered, showing that fire was used as an agent to destroy the cohesion of the copper with the surrounding stone. Metallic hammers and knives have been discovered in the mines, though the instances are very rare, the copper being evidently carried to a distance, where it was fashioned into the rings and ornaments frequently found in the tumuli of the Ohio. The immense labor required to sink these ancient mines—frequently through several feet of solid rock—is another evidence that the present race of Indians, or any race of men possessing their characteristics, could not have performed the work, for no amount of personal benefit could induce the Indian to undergo such physical exertion. According to Professor J. W. Foster, these ancient miners were none other than the Mound Builders, whose works are known to be scattered throughout the entire Northwestern States. The specimens of their genius which we find in Michigan are generally small, varying in height from six to ten feet, and in rare instances reaching a height of twenty feet. Some of the most remarkable that have been noticed are in Girard township, Branch county, and in Raisin township, in the county of Lenawee. One of the latter was opened many years since and found to contain a mass of human bones. On the north side of Grand river, ten miles from its mouth, there is an ancient mound about ten feet high, with an immense pine tree, nearly one hundred feet high, growing from its apex. A mound in the vicinity was opened, and nothing found until the ground below was penetrated to the distance of about three feet below the original level, where were discovered a quantity of human bones, several pieces of iron three or four inches long, several arrow heads, some pieces of brass, and the remnant of a brazen vessel much mutilated. In the southwest corner of the county of Calhoun, on the north side of the St. Joseph river, is a semicircular fort two hundred feet in diameter, and another in the southeast corner of the county, of the same dimensions, with an embankment from one to three feet high. In the county of Wayne, in Springwells township, on the north bank of the Detroit river, is a fort of the circular or elliptical kind, with an embankment two or three feet in height, and encompassing perhaps one acre, situated on firm land and surrounded by a swamp. On the east side, in approaching the fort, there are two parallel embankments of earth, within a few feet of each other, rising four or five feet, and crossing the swamp in a direct line towards the fort. Forts of the square or the rectangular kind are sometimes found. There is said pg 133to be one two miles below the village of Marshall, one in the township of Prairie Ronde, several on the Kalamazoo, and in some other places. In Bruce township, in the county of Macomb, on the north fork of the Clinton, are several. The latter consist mostly of an irregular embankment, with a ditch on the outside, and including from two to ten acres, with entrances, which were evidently gateways, and a mound on the inside opposite each entrance. In the vicinity there are a number of mounds. Several small mounds have been found on a bluff of the Clinton river, eight miles from Lake St. Clair. In sinking the cellar of a building for a missionary, sixteen baskets full of human bones were found of a remarkable size. Near the mouth of this river, on the east bank, are ancient works representing a fortress, with walls of earth thrown up similar to those in Ohio and Indiana.

In this connection, after mentioning the fact that the popular name of Michigan is the Hoosier State, it may interest the reader to look at the meanings of the following Indian names associated with the State of Michigan: Kalamazoo, which means Looming, or Wuragi river; Numma-sapee, or River Raisin, River of Sturgeons; Minosa-goink, or River Rouge, Singeing Skin River; Waweawtonong, or Detroit, Place where you go round the sun in approaching; Getchigomme, or Lake Superior, Sea Water; Equabaw, End of deep water; Wassawassepee, River where fish are speared by torch-light; Iosco, Water of Light; Keewenaw, or The canoe is carried back; Muskegon, or Marshy River; Moskego-sepee, or Moskegon, Marshy River; Pocagonk, The Rib River; Titebawassee, River that runs alongside; Ottawa, or The Traders; Tuscola, or Warrior’s Prairie; Nundee Norgon, or Ontonagon, Hunting River; Wrockumiteogoc, or Huron river, Clear Water; Owosso, Person warming himself; Cheboygan, or A place of metals; Nagaikur-Sebee, or River Ecorce, Bark River; Sac-e-nong, or Saginaw, Sac Town; Michsawgyegan, or Lake Michigan, Great Lake; Manistee, or River with Islands; Chippewas, or Ojibways, The Ruling People; Mackinaw, Place of Giant Fairies, or Great Turtle; Washtenaw and Washtenong, or Grand River, Running over Shining Pebbles; Shiawassee, or Strait Running; Powetink, or Grand Rapids, Falling Waters; Powating, the Saute Ste. Marie, or Water Shallow on the Rocks; Yondotia, or Detroit, Great Town; and Cowthenake-Sepee, or Au Glaize river, Falling Tree River. According to J. H. Lanman, the Indian names which marked the prominent points of Michigan exhibit the mode in which the savages defined the topography of the country, and were used as land marks to guide them in their migrations. A general term, founded on a certain feature of natural scenery, was often used to designate a wide tract of territory.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS.

Under this heading we propose to speak of several distinct localities, which have been, and are at the present time, attracting the special attention of the public, viz—the Grand Traverse Region, the Saginaw Valley, the Straits of Mackinaw, and the Cheboygan Region. With regard to the first, Professor Alexander Winchell has declared it to be the most remarkable and desirable section of country in the Northwest, and as he is the only man who has thoroughly explored it, the value of his opinion cannot be questioned. In 1866 he published a report on its geological and industrial resources, and it is from that production that we gather the following particulars:

Grand Traverse Bay is a bay of Lake Michigan, about thirty-four miles long and of ample depth, and received its name from the French voyageurs. pg 134The region to which it has given its name is divided into five counties, viz: Antrim, Leelanau, Grand Traverse, Benzie, and Kalcasca, the first three alone being contiguous to the Bay. The mean elevation of this country is two and thirty feet above Lake Michigan, and it is intersected with a great number of small and beautiful lakes and rivers of the purest water, and its surface is undulating and picturesque, and its low or swamp lands are not worthy of mention. Patches of clayey soil are not unfrequent, but a well-mixed sandy loam is the dominant soil on the hills, and their productiveness is said to be unsurpassed. Generally speaking, the region is covered by a magnificent growth of hard-wood timber, the sugar maple being the most abundant species, although the beech, the white elm, the oak, poplar, birch, the hemlock, the cedar, white pine, and arbor vitæ are found to a considerable extent in certain localities. For the most part, these forests present an endless colonnade of majestic pillars, and, but for the prostrate forms of the fallen patriarchs of the wood, a vehicle could be driven through the unbroken forest from one end of the region to the other. All the quadrupeds and birds peculiar to the State are found in this particular section, and the common trout is abundant in its beautiful lakes and streams. Its geological formations are said to be unusually interesting to scientific men, and consist of lignite, drift, shales, various limestones, and salt—the last of which underlies the whole region. With regard to the farm products, Professor Winchell asserts that this region is capable of producing any crop which flourishes in the Northwestern States and as far south as the latitude of Cincinnati. Winter wheat is the staple crop, and the yield varies from twenty-five to thirty bushels per acre. Corn grows well, and, generally speaking, reaches perfection. Oats are very profitable, yielding fifty bushels to the acre. Buckwheat also flourishes luxuriantly. The potatoes of the region cannot be excelled—will grow without cultivation, and the yield is frequently three hundred bushels to the acre; and timothy hay is always a successful crop. As a fruit-growing region it is doubtful whether any other part of the United States will compete with this—the apple, peach, pear, plum, cherry, grape, and all the more common berries attaining the greatest perfection. According to the latest estimates, the population of the region is not far from ten thousand; and, although ample access is had to it by propellors from all the lake ports, it cannot be long before it will be easily reached by means of all the usual land communications. Beyond all controversy, writes Professor Winchell, the Grand Traverse Region offers stronger attractions to capital and settlement than any other portion of the State, or of the entire Northwest. Even the mighty forest, which has to be felled before the farmer can avail himself of the soil, is probably less of a detriment than an advantage. Besides insuring him an inexhaustible supply of fuel, for the labor of cutting; besides furnishing him with a merchantable commodity in the form of cord wood, upon which he can realize for each day’s work; besides protecting him and his stock and crops from the severity of the wintry blast—the forest itself is a source of food to horses and cattle, both in summer and winter. And it is a cheering fact that the religious and educational accommodations have kept pace with the development of the region.

Professor Winchell, in his report, makes an allusion to the Sand-Dunes, which form conspicuous landmarks along the western coast of southern Michigan, although not a prominent feature in the Grand Traverse Region. They consist of irregular heaps of sand which have been accumulated by the winds blowing in a certain direction upon specific shores. While the dunes of Cape Cod seldom measure more than eighty feet, those of Michigan pg 135sometimes measure more than a hundred feet. It is generally found, too, that they assume a lee and strike side,—the gentle and long slope being to the windward, and the steep acclivity towards the sheltered portion. The Sleeping Bear and Pointe Aux Chenes, near the foot of Lake Michigan, are conspicuous examples of these dune-like formations, while at the head, at New Buffalo and Michigan City, they are equally conspicuous. All these dunes are found to be moist to within a few feet of the surface, and hence become clothed with vegetation, of which the peric tribe is the most observable. If, down to the present time, the ingenuity of man has not been able to make them useful, it is a source of thankfulness that they have not done, and are not doing, any particular harm.

With regard to the Saginaw Valley, we may begin by saying that its inhabitants claim it to be the largest and most valuable tract of timbered country in the world. The bay and river which bear the same name have long been distinguished for their natural attractions, and have an abundance of water to satisfy all the demands of navigation. From the earliest time the surrounding region has been famous as a seat of the fur-trade, and its earliest white inhabitants were two Indian traders, named Louis Campau and John B. Cushway. It was first settled by agricultural emigrants about the year 1836, but did not make any advances in enterprise until 1850, when, under the leadership of Charles Little and his son Norman Little, an extensive lumber trade was commenced, and all the steps taken to secure the manifold advantages born of active business and high ideas of education. Its leading town, originally named Buena Vista, but now called East Saginaw, was incorporated as such in 1859, and is already known as a ship-building place of importance, giving profitable employment besides to large numbers of men connected with the lumber trade and various kinds of wood and iron manufactures; and it is connected with Detroit by steamboat lines and a well-conducted railway. The next town in importance is Saginaw City, which is mainly dependent for its prosperity upon the salt interest, which has its centre here. The packing and shipping of salt has progressed so rapidly that a large proportion of the Northwestern States look to Michigan for their supply; and by several of the highest authorities of the country, the salt manufactured in the Saginaw Valley has been pronounced of the most superior quality, forty gallons of brine yielding fifty-six pounds of salt, which is a larger per centage than the yield of the Syracuse salt works. There is, perhaps, no region in the State where there is less actual waste land than in Saginaw. Wherever it is cleared and properly cultivated it proves to be of unsurpassed fertility. The proximity of the heavy timbered lands to a ready market for lumber, affords a rich reward for the toil and labor of clearing. The immense oak and pine timber finds a ready sale, while the less valuable varieties, when cut up for fuel, are needed by the salt manufacturers, who pay remunerating prices. The demand for this purpose alone is immense, and must increase until the country is stripped of its forests. Those advantages are not overlooked by those who are in search of new homes in Michigan, and the consequence is that there is an active demand for lands for farming purposes.

We may add, in this connection, that the gypsum beds located on the Bay of Saginaw are being rapidly developed, and becoming of great value to the State. In 1868 there were shipped from that locality twenty thousand tons of crude gypsum, and two thousand barrels of calcined gypsum, while the yield of the Grand Rapids bed amounted to 41,720 tons of the crude and 116,630 pounds of calcined gypsum.

From Mr. Albert D. Rust, who resides in the Saginaw Valley, and is pg 136devoting his energies as an editor and citizen to the development of that portion of the State, we have received the subjoined information:

This region is quite well adapted to agricultural purposes, but will ultimately be more of a grazing country, than one for raising grain.

It is a very remarkable circumstance that Michigan did, a good many years ago, get the reputation of being sterile and unhealthy, and so general was the impression that this reputation was given in the descriptive geographies; but, so far from this being the fact, the case is, that for the last five or eight years Michigan has increased in population and celebrity more rapidly than ever before. Amongst the best wheat in the New York market maybe found Michigan wheat; the best quality and greatest abundance of fruits is from Michigan. No State is less subject to fatal diseases. To be sure, the fever and ague did prevail there in some parts several years ago; but that disease is scarcely known there now, save in a few localities; as in other new States, it has come and gone forever.

The winter is not severe; it is much less so than in other States in the same latitude east. Sleighing does not appear usually until January, and lasts about three months. There is snow enough to make it pleasant and good for business. The rivers break up the first of April. The mercury seldom ever goes below ten degrees below zero, and frequently not as low as zero. We think that this part of the State is better adapted for comfortable homes than other Western States. Almost all kinds of business found in any country may be followed in Saginaw Valley.

We come now to speak of the Straits of Mackinaw. This locality is certainly remarkable, and its early history has already been touched upon in the first part of the present volume. It is the centre of that great chain of lakes and rivers, which well-nigh divides the continent. The three largest lakes of the system, Superior, Michigan, and Huron, are spread around, pointing to this spot, while between them, three vast peninsulas of land press down upon the waters until they are compressed into a river only four miles in width. On the north is the peninsula of Canada, on the south that of Michigan, and on the west that of the Copper Region. Here they are divided only by the Straits of Mackinaw. Land and water, by an inevitable necessity, seem to centre here, the navigable waters covering an area of eighty thousand square miles, and surrounded by a continuous coast of five thousand miles. The climate has been found to be as favorable as that of most civilized States, either for the production of food or the pursuits of commerce; and as to the productive wealth of the vast country which they drain it has been fully demonstrated by a number of scientific writers to be unsurpassed in any other quarter of the world. With these facts before us, we can begin to comprehend the remarkable enterprise of Edgar Conkling in attempting to found a commercial emporium on the Straits of Mackinaw, which, if carried out, will perpetuate his name, as a man of mind and commercial courage, for ages to come. At this point, according to that able and sound reasoner, Edward D. Mansfield, as well as at the upper end of Lake Superior, there must be large cities to supply the demands of commerce. It is not a matter of speculation, but a necessity of nature. The same necessity has already created Buffalo, Toledo, Detroit, Chicago, and St. Louis. The demand for such towns on the shores of Lakes Huron and Superior, and especially at the Straits of Mackinaw, whose Bay and Lake Michigan flow together, are obviously far greater than those which have already caused the growth of Buffalo and Chicago. They have grown to supply the commerce of comparatively limited districts. One means of testing this is to apply radial lines to the site of any city existent or proposed, pg 137so as to include what naturally belongs to them, and thus compare them with one another. The radial lines of New York and Philadelphia extend across the ocean to Europe on one hand, and across the mountains to the Valley of the Mississippi on the other. In looking to this fact we are no longer surprised that New York has its million of inhabitants, and Philadelphia its six hundred thousand.

If we look to the radial lines of Chicago we find that they are limited on the south by the competition of St. Louis and on the north by Milwaukee. Yet Chicago, at the southern end of Lake Michigan, has risen to be a large city by a sudden and extraordinary growth, arising from the rich though limited country about it. Apply these radial lines to Mackinaw and we find that they naturally include all of Michigan, a large part of Wisconsin, and a large part of Canada West; but in reference to water navigation no interior site in America is equal to that of Mackinaw. Here concentrate the navigation of eighty thousand square miles of water surface, which has no common centre but that of the Straits of Mackinaw. Two facts must be observed: that a commercial point which concentrates the trade of Lakes Superior and Michigan must lie within the circuit of their coasts; but there is no such point but Mackinaw. The other is that the point of commerce which offers the shortest distance, and therefore the cheapest to the great markets of the Atlantic will be preferred. Mackinaw is five hundred miles nearer to Buffalo than is Fond du Lac, and three hundred miles nearer than Chicago. So it is the same distance nearer to the Gulf of St. Lawrence or the city of New York. It is on the south side only, through the peninsula of Michigan, and toward the States of Indiana and Ohio, that the position of Mackinaw seems deficient in communications. But we no sooner see this than we see also two great lines of railroad progressing from the South through the peninsula toward Mackinaw. The one passes on the west side from Fort Wayne (Indiana) through Grand Rapids and Traverse Bay; the other through Lansing and Amboy, both terminating on the north at Mackinaw, and both, by connection with Indiana and Ohio roads, at Cincinnati on the south; thence they will soon be carried to the orange-growing shores of Florida. Thus may some future traveller be borne in a few hours from the soft air of the southern Atlantic to the keen breezes of the North and bathe his languid limbs in the clear cold waters of Michigan.

These, together with many others of like character, are the considerations which induced Mr. Conkling (formerly a citizen of Cincinnati) to undertake his gigantic enterprise. It was in 1853 that he purchased a large tract of land, consisting of the extreme northern point of the southern peninsula of Michigan, where he has laid out a town and seaport which he named Mackinaw City; and although the financial troubles of 1857 and the subsequent war for the Union did much to retard his various plans, he is now devoting his best energies and ample means, under the most efficient and liberal policy that it is possible to devise, for the varied interests, moral and material, of all who may settle there. The city has three safe and commodious harbors, and everything is being done to make it a profitable and agreeable place of residence; and a leading idea of the proprietor is to establish at this point an educational institution equal to the wants of the country. On this point he has communicated to us the following:

“In view of the increasing population of this country, and their needed increased intelligence to rightly develop it, and to promote their intellectual and moral happiness, the proprietor takes great pleasure in carrying out a long-cherished purpose of recognizing his obligation to forego the usual merely selfish accumulation and appropriation of personal gains, and to pg 138participate in the future glory of this the grandest country and Government of the world, by pledging the principal avails of this large and valuable property of near 5,000 acres to provide for the building up and endowment of a superior ‘University,’ with common-school branches, for the free education of the present and future generations of this locality, who must take part in ruling the destinies of the world.

“He has determined that the free educational facilities of Mackinaw City shall not be excelled by any other city of this country, and shall be worthy of the State and a commercial centre so highly endowed by nature, second only to Detroit within Michigan, and equalled but by few lake cities.

“Thus the proprietor, in voluntarily becoming a mere trustee for the citizens of Mackinaw City, presents the most powerful incentive to invite an intelligent, enterprising, and wealthy population not only to enjoy all the superior natural advantages of the city and its surroundings, but also to enjoy the educational fund arising from the purchase of their homes and the value of the property resulting from their own enterprise and capital in building up an important city.”

Another of the later developments which have taken place within the limits of the State is that of the Cheboygan region, and for the only satisfactory account of it that can be had, we are indebted to Professor N. H. Winchell, of Ann Arbor. A report that he published of this region in 1809 is so full of interest that we subjoin a large proportion of it, as follows:

The Indian word (Chab-wa-e-gun) of which Cheboygan is a corruption, signifies place of ore, but it is not known why the Indians so named this region, the river or the lake. No ore to justify the name has yet been discovered.

The Cheboygan and its tributaries comprise the most northern river system of the lower peninsula, its outlet into Lake Huron being within nine miles of the latitude of the Straits of Mackinac. Several of the tributaries rise as far south as the mouth of Thunder Bay river, in the heighth of land of Otsego county, where also rise the Sauble and the Manistee, two of the largest rivers of Michigan, while from east to west this system spans the whole peninsula, its most western source being within a quarter of a mile of the head of Little Traverse Bay. There is not a more beautiful cluster of connected inland lakes to be found in the State, or in any other State, than those which find outlet through the Cheboygan. Mullett Lake, within ten miles of Lake Huron, covers about thirty square miles, or 19,200 acres; Burt’s Lake, extending twelve miles further west, covers about the same area; Crooked Lake, eight miles still farther west, about ten square miles, or 6,400 acres; Douglass Lake, with the small lakes adjoining, about twelve square miles, or 7,680 acres, and Cheboygan Lake, about twenty-five square miles, or 16,000 acres. The water of these lakes is clear and pure, and contains an abundance of excellent fish. The famous “speckled trout” finds its favorite haunts in these waters, and for sporting fishermen there is no more attractive region in the United States. The district occupied by these lakes, stretching from the head of Little Traverse Bay eastward across the State, is dry, elevated, and covered with hard wood timber; and hence the shores of the lakes are rarely low or marshy. The streams which connect them generally flow with a smooth and steady current. There are rapids, however, in Cheboygan river, about a mile above its mouth, where water-power mills for lumbering and for flouring purposes have been erected. A substantial canal and lock at this place, constructed by permission of the State Legislature, to aid in the passage pg 139of these rapids, and the dam above, somewhat impede the navigation of the river, as they are regulated by the local convenience of the managers. Yet their capacity is sufficient to permit the passage of tugs and scows of any size capable of navigating the river. In Black river, below Cheboygan lake, occurs a series of rapids, which extend for three miles, having an aggregate descent of between fifty and sixty feet. This water power has not yet been improved. The country adjacent is somewhat settled by farmers, but it is generally an unbroken wilderness. Black river, above Cheboygan lake, also contains rapids in which there is a perpendicular fall, in some places of four or five feet. These occur from six to ten miles above the lake. At this place the bed of the river consists of limestone rock in situ, but at the rapids below Cheboygan lake, few rocks are visible, except metamorphic boulders.

The soil and timber of the Cheboygan region are such as promise to make it, when cleared, one of great agricultural resources. The soil varies within short intervals, so that a single farm may possess such a diversity of soils as to adapt it to the culture of a large variety of products. The prevailing feature of the soil of the region is a silico-calcareous sand; yet there are places, especially along the branches of the river below Mullett and Cheboygan Lakes, and extending to the site of the village of Cheboygan, where the clayey element is most prominent. The soil in some places is a copper-colored clayey loam; in others it is a black vegetable loam, resembling the prairie soil of Illinois. Where the sandy constituent and the clay or loam become mixed, as they frequently do, a very superior soil for agricultural purposes results. Much of the country is rolling, especially where the clayey soil predominates, while the sandy tracts are generally level. There is occasionally also a patch of marly soil, which when plowed crumbles in the atmosphere. Soil of this kind occurs on the east and north shores of Mullet Lake. Calcareous marl is often found also in the bed of the lakes, sometimes in the form of pebbly reefs or islands. The carbonate of lime is deposited from the water on little fresh water shells, (Planorbis,) and as they are rolled by the ripples they increase in size till they become as large as walnuts. Sometimes they become crushed and form a calcareous sand, or eventually a calcareous marl, which is useful not only as a fertilizer of the soil, and for making lime, but is sometimes mixed directly with sand to form an inferior mortar, or with water to form a whitewash.

The most common trees, off the river margins and the low lands, are beech, maple, pine, and hemlock, with occasional oaks and elms. The white pine occurs principally along the streams, where it is mixed with other timber, most frequently with hemlock or Norway pine. The Norway pine alone often forms extensive orchard-like tracts on the sandy plains. Another common but worthless species of pine, known among the lumbermen as “pitch pine” or “spruce pine,” is a scattered, straggling tree, never exceeding ten inches in diameter, properly called Bank’s pine, (Pinus Banksiana.) The beech and maple, as well as the elm, sometimes grow to stately dimensions, while the oaks are generally small. Of course, the country furnishes other less noticeable species of timber, as iron-wood, poplar, balm of Gilead, white birch, ash, and bass, while the ever-present cedar, larch, and spruce, of the northern latitudes, fill up the low lands. There is no butternut, hickory, or black-walnut; no whitewood or chestnut.

The settlement of such a region, of course, is not entirely dependent on or controlled by the lumber interest. Although initial impulse may have been due to this interest, yet the settlement of the Cheboygan region has outgrown it, and has developed other and more permanent elements of prosperity. pg 140Permanency in a new settlement must be based upon some lasting and important resource. In the Cheboygan region, strangely enough, that resource is, or will soon become, chiefly agricultural. The country is rapidly filling up with farmers.

The farmers raise oats, potatoes, corn, wheat, in short, almost anything that can be raised in southern Michigan, though not always with the same certainty. Having but recently settled on their farms, their efforts are mainly expended in the improvement of them, and in the production of a winter’s subsistence for themselves and their stock. Some of the farmers told the writer that they had raised wheat, even forty bushels to the acre, and that it was always a sure crop. One old settler of sixteen years ago, Mr. E. A. Dodge, on Mullet Lake, raises, together with the products of the farm, garden vegetables for the Cheboygan market. In his garden were strawberries, lettuce, cucumbers, cabbage, onions, etc., and in an adjoining field he had young apple and cherry trees, and several choice varieties of grapes.

Another farmer said he raised from three-fourths of a bushel of winter wheat a crop of forty bushels; and from ten bushels of spring wheat he received two hundred and sixty-three bushels. The cultivation of wheat has not been carried on heretofore, owing to the lack of a flouring-mill; and it was not until the past season that such a mill was supplied.

Cheboygan village contains about 800 inhabitants; stands on a clayey soil; has several stores, two churches, and three hotels. Above the village, fields of wheat, grass, potatoes, oats and peas line the river banks, the land on both sides being well cleared. In the channel of the river are twelve feet of water, but the entrance to the river is choked by a bar of clay and boulders. This obstruction for a number of years impeded the growth of the place, by shutting off communication with passing steamers. The officers of the lake survey have made preliminary examination and estimates for the dredging of a channel through this bar.

Should this improvement be carried out, nothing can prevent the Cheboygan region from becoming one of the most wealthy and important portions of the Lake Huron shore.

HISTORY OF

MICHIGAN DURING THE REBELLION.

———

MILITARY DEPARTMENT OF MICHIGAN—1861 TO 1871.

PREFATORY NOTES.

Michigan, by her love for the “Old Flag,” by her loyalty and patriotism, pg 144by her great and bloody sacrifice, and by the unbounded zeal and liberality of her people in the cause of the Union, especially by the bravery, efficiency, and great prowess of her troops in the field, has acquired an exalted position among her sister States, and is justly the recipient of much credit for her part in suppressing the rebellion.

The propriety and duty of having an authentic historical record of the part borne in that sanguinary struggle by her soldiers and people, and which has made her fame so national in this respect, will be universally admitted.

The great necessity for a published work embracing as much as possible of the subject had impressed the mind of the compiler so long and so forcibly, and the matter failing to receive the attention of others, induced, and it may be said, compelled him, from a sense of duty to the State and her troops in the late war, to attempt its production.

In undertaking it, he is fully aware that much more responsibility has been assumed than is successfully or satisfactorily met, and he is very sensible of the fact that the subject ought to have fallen in more capable hands.

For the defects, errors, or omissions, which unavoidably occur in a work of this description, the compiler trusts that he will be excused or pardoned, in consideration of an honest and anxious desire, and a most earnest endeavor to effect the purpose he had in view.

In its arrangement, it has been deemed best, for several reasons, to refrain from the introduction of biographical matter, and from referring to any of the causes to which the war is chargeable, as neither could have been included without extending the work beyond the proposed limit, or reducing much the narrative of special services of regiments, which was not desirable.

The compilation has, in the main, been made from the records of the State military departments, the written reports of commanding officers of regiments, and other official papers, consequently the work is presumed to be substantially accurate and reliable, and is as full as circumstances would permit.

It is necessarily a condensed and very brief narrative of the operations of Michigan in the war of the rebellion, and giving only very limited sketches of a few of the engagements of her brave regiments in the field, merely glancing at some of the more prominent encounters with the enemy in their long and varied service. To include more at this time has been deemed impracticable; yet, as these special selections are truthfully characteristic of their entire conflicts in the war, conclusions may easily be arrived at as to what they were in general.

They are sketches of the part taken by the regiments in encounters with the enemy, in which they were specially or heavily engaged, or conspicuously distinguished, illustrating in a degree their fighting qualities and general efficiency. In their selection, commandants of regiments have uniformly been consulted, and the data from which the sketches are drawn were mostly supplied by them, to whom, and the Michigan officers generally, the compiler is under many obligations for reports and other documents covering particular operations of their respective regiments, which have aided much in their preparation.

No attempt is made to claim for Michigan, or for her troops, any particular or special merit, or more than an equal credit with all other States and their troops for the part taken by them in the war for the Union. For it must be conceded that in all the times that shall come claims cannot be successfully sustained by any particular State for any special portion of the honor of preserving the Union. All that any can reasonably undertake and accomplish in this respect will be to truthfully represent as far as possible their own action, and the services rendered by their troops, there leaving the matter.

If any particular battle could be selected and designated as the action in which the backbone of the rebellion was broken and finally suppressed, then, on a comparison of the services of the troops of the various States in that engagement, a verdict might possibly be rendered; but no such selection can be made nor any such conclusion arrived at. For all time it must be pg 146decided that the Rebellion was not destroyed in any single battle, but by the continued hammering of the entire Union armies during the four long years of fearful and bloody war; and the accursed and hideous monster was beaten, baffled, starved, worn to a helpless skeleton, and then, while in the act of begging for bread and quarter, was toppled over into its selected resting place, to die an unwilling and humiliating death.

But it is claimed, in all candor, that no State evinced more loyalty to the Union, or more determination to maintain its life and honor, than did Michigan; that no troops in all the Union armies gave better or more conclusive evidence of true courage, efficiency, and patriotism, or exhibited a more supreme love for the great cause in which they were engaged, or rendered more valuable or gallant service than did hers.

INTRODUCTORY.

The outbreak of the American Rebellion in 1861, and the formidable onset of the rebels in arms, which, unfortunately, found all departments of the National Government unprepared for its fearful emergencies, came unanticipated and unprovided for upon all the States whose authorities were not participants in or privy to the conspiracy.

The people to whom war was then only a name, and not a dreadful fact, and who had for years been garnering the rich harvests of peace, amid great commercial prosperity and social tranquility, refused to credit the predictions and threatenings of a coming eclipse on the peace of the nation, until its terrible shadow had fallen upon them.

The disruption of the Union had been threatened so often and so causelessly, that busy men regarded it only as a common rallying cry of unscrupulous politicians, and rarely or never admitted, even in thought, that it might suddenly become a fearful reality. It was only when the guns of rebel batteries were fired at Fort Sumter, and shot and shell riddled the national flag, that the self-deception of the patriots of the land ceased; that the dreadful responsibilities of the crisis were acknowledged and accepted; and that the people determined upon the action that was instantly needed.

The manner in which existing deficiencies were supplied, the necessities of the times met, the constantly augmenting burdens of the struggle borne, and the whole problem solved so triumphantly at last, furnishes some of the imperishable pages of history.

Michigan, in common with her sister States of the North, never actually nor impliedly conceded the possibility of a civil war until the first blow was struck and the light of treason burst from Sumter’s walls. Her people, thoroughly loyal in all the fires of their being, did not expect it in others; and in politics, as in law, they proposed to hold all innocent until guilt was indisputably proven. Thus there was no preliminary arming for the terrible conflict, no antecedent training, no husbanding of resources, no abatement of encumbrances, no occupancy of advantageous position, and the enemy vigorously assailed the walls while the unthinking garrison were yet engaged in the avocations of peace, and the rusty weapons were yet stacked in their quiet places of years past.

The census of Michigan for 1860 showed a population of 751,110. The number of able-bodied men capable of military service was estimated in official documents of that date at 110,000. The State debt at the close of that year was $2,228,842.79, besides $100,000 in canal bonds, which the State had guaranteed, and the actual value of the taxable property of the pg 147State was estimated at $275,000,000. The financial embarrassments of our Commonwealth were, however, neither few nor unimportant, and an annual tax of $226,250 was deemed a grievous burden.

The militia department of the State was in a very feeble condition, caused by lack of the necessary pecuniary aid to encourage its numerical strength and efficiency. Yet feeble as it was, it formed a nucleus from which were rallied the first regiments sent to the field in defense of the Union, and from it germed much of the esprit de corps and superior military appearance, coupled with the general efficiency, which characterized the earlier Michigan troops, and, indeed, which pervaded all the Michigan regiments throughout the war.

For what was valuable in the militia at that time the State was more indebted to Colonel F. W. Curtenius, of Kalamazoo, who had been Adjutant-General for several years, and up to 1861, than to any provisions of her laws.

The companies then organized, and which constituted the entire available militia force, were twenty-eight in number, and their aggregate strength was 1,241 officers and men. For the support of this military establishment the State annually spent the enormous sum of three thousand dollars, appropriated for that purpose by the Legislature.

Notwithstanding these physical disadvantages, the morale of the people was true as steel. On retiring from the Gubernatorial chair, at the close of his term in 1860, the lamented Moses Wisner addressed a cogent and eloquent valedictory message to the new Legislature.

After presenting, in careful summaries, all the essential facts in reference to the manifold and important material interests of the State, he then proceeded to a discussion of the grave situation of national politics, over which an unprecedented sombre hue had been cast, by the recent passage in various Southern States of ordinances of secession. In the language used at that critical moment by our Executive there was no shadow of faltering, no tinge of disaffection, no uncertain sound. It breathed devotion to the Union in every sentence, and for the maintenance thereof at all hazards every paragraph was a stirring argument. We quote these inspiring utterances which then fell upon the ear of patriots, amid doubt, disloyalty, and danger, like tidings of better days and harbingers of future glory: “This is no time for timid and vaccillating councils, when the cry of treason and rebellion is ringing in our ears.” “The Constitution as our fathers made it is good enough for us, and must be enforced upon every foot of American soil.” “Michigan cannot recognize the right of a State to secede from this Union. We believe that the founders of our Government designed it to be perpetual, and we cannot consent to have one star obliterated from our flag. For upwards of thirty years this question of the right of a State to secede has been agitated. It is time it was settled. We ought not to leave it for our children to look after.” “I would calmly but firmly declare it to be the fixed determination of Michigan that the Federal Constitution, the rights of the States, must and shall be preserved.” These glowing words, this noble advice, were enforced by the personal and patriotic services of their author and giver, and fidelity to the national interests, and the great love of country which prompted them, added the honored name of Moses Wisner to the long lists of martyrs to the cause of the Union offered by our State.

Simultaneously with the valedictory of Governor Wisner, the Legislature of 1861 listened to the inaugural of his successor, Austin Blair. The mantle of Elijah had fallen upon a fitting Elisha; and a profound and philosophical pg 148discussion of the true nature of our complex system of government, and of the real signification of the existing and impending issues, was closed with these emphatic and telling utterances: “We are satisfied with the Constitution of our country, and will obey the laws enacted under it, and we must demand that the people of all the other States do the same; safety lies in this path alone. The Union must be preserved, and the laws must be enforced in all parts of it at whatever cost. The President is bound to this by his oath, and no power can discharge him from it. Secession is revolution, and revolution in the overt act is treason, and must be treated as such. The Federal Government has the power to defend itself, and I do not doubt that that power will be exercised to the utmost. It is a question of war that the seceding States have to look in the face. They who think that this powerful Government can be disrupted peacefully have read history to no purpose. The sons of the men who carried arms in the seven years war with the most powerful nation in the world, to establish this Government, will not hesitate to make equal sacrifices to maintain it. Most deeply must we deplore the unnatural contest. On the heads of the traitors who provoke it must rest the responsibility. In such a contest the God of battles has no attribute that can take sides with the revolutionists of the slave States.

“I recommend you at an early day to make manifest to the gentlemen who represent this State in the two Houses of Congress, and to the country, that Michigan is loyal to the Union, the Constitution, and the laws, and will defend them to the uttermost; and to proffer to the President of the United States the whole military power of the State for that purpose. Oh! for the firm, steady hand of a Washington, or a Jackson, to guide the ship of state in this perilous storm. Let us hope that we shall find him on the 4th of March. Meantime, let us abide in the faith of our fathers—‘Liberty and Union, one and inseparable, now and forever.’ ”

Marshalled by such leaders, and also inspired by its own invincible amor patræ, the Legislature was neither timid nor slow in unfurling its colors to the breeze, and in joint resolutions offered on February 2d, 1861, it declared its adherence to the Government of the United States, pledged to and tendered it all its military power and material resources, and declared that concession or compromise was not to be entertained or offered to traitors. Still nothing definite was done—no actual defensive or aggressive military steps were taken—until rebel foolhardiness precipitated the struggle that had become inevitable by converging upon Fort Sumter the fire of the encircling batteries of Charleston Harbor.

On April 12, 1861, the news was received at Detroit that the rebels at Charleston had actually inaugurated civil war by firing upon Fort Sumter. This intelligence created much excitement, and in view of the uncertainty of coming events, the people, much alarmed, commenced looking around to estimate how united they would be in the cause of the Union. On the following day a meeting of the Detroit bar, presided over by the venerable Judge Ross Wilkins, was held, and resolutions were adopted pledging that community to “stand by the Government to the last,” and repudiating the treason of the South. By the following Monday, (April 15th,) when the surrender of the South Carolina fortress was known throughout the land, and the call of the President for 75,000 volunteers had been received, the entire State was alive to the emergencies and duties of the hour, and the uprising of the people was universal. Public meetings were held in all the cities and in most of the towns—even in the Christian churches—pledges of assistance to the nation in its hour of peril made, and volunteering briskly pg 149commenced. In all portions of the State the watchfires of patriotism were kindled, blazing with an inspiring brightness, and the cheering illumination spread all over the land, as this lyric will testify:

Fortunate in her Executive and Legislative departments, and equally so in the management of her interests at the National Capital, having men of influence connected with several Departments who loved the reputation of their State, and ever ready and anxious to advance her cause, especially so in her representatives in both houses of Congress, Michigan fearlessly launched her bark on the turbulent sea of rebellion and war.

On Tuesday, April 10th, Governor Blair arrived in Detroit, and in the afternoon met a large number of leading citizens and capitalists of that city at the Michigan Exchange. The State had been called upon to immediately furnish to the General Government one infantry regiment, fully armed, clothed, and equipped.

It was estimated that $100,000 would be immediately required to defray the necessary expense of organizing the regiment, but the treasury was empty, and State finances so situated, that this pressing call could not be immediately met. Upon the laying of these facts before the meeting by the Hon. John Owen, State Treasurer, a resolution was passed pledging Detroit to loan the State $50,000, and calling upon the people throughout the State to make a like advance. A subscription paper was also circulated upon the spot, and the sum of $23,000 pledged by those present.

Committees were also appointed to solicit further subscriptions in the city, and to aid the Governor in his undertaking. This liberal and prompt action at this opportune moment furnished the sinews of war for the time being. With these pledges of the people in hand, and his own good credit, Mr. Owen succeeded in raising a sum sufficient to enable the Executive to commence the clothing and equipment of troops, which sum, and all others obtained in like manner for this purpose, were assumed by the State on the assembling of the Legislature. During the same day a proclamation was issued by the Governor, calling for ten companies of volunteers, and ordering pg 150the Adjutant-General to accept the first ten companies that should offer, and making it the duty of that officer to issue all the necessary orders and instructions in detail. The movement thus inaugurated did not slacken in impetus nor lessen in ardor. The State responded to the call of its authorities most promptly. The patriotism of the people was in a blaze. War meetings were held in every town, and the tenders of troops from all points in the State far exceeded the requisitions yet made by the General Government. The necessary loan was readily taken, mostly by our own people, and all the duties of the hour were promptly met and discharged.

On April 23d the Governor issued his proclamation convening the Legislature in extra session at Lansing, on the 7th of May. On the following day, April 24th, the order was issued from the Adjutant-General’s office for organizing the 1st regiment of infantry and appointing its field officers; its rendezvous was fixed at Fort Wayne, and the immediate assembling there of its various companies ordered. Authority had also been given for the raising of the Coldwater Battery, afterwards known as Loomis’s. The battery was rapidly recruited, and the horses therefor were purchased with funds loaned to the State by the citizens of Coldwater. It was at once ordered to Fort Wayne, where its equipment was completed. The 2d regiment was also hurriedly recruited, and its companies concentrated at Cantonment Blair, Detroit. On May 2d the companies of the 1st regiment were mustered into the service of the United States. Meanwhile two other regiments, the 3d and 4th, had been formed, and were accepted by the State conditionally, it being apprehended that they would not be needed. The 3d went into camp at Grand Rapids, and the 4th at Adrian.

The Legislature met, pursuant to call, on the 7th, and the Governor addressed to them a stirring message, in which he detailed the work already accomplished, and asked the Legislature to legalize what had already been done, and invest the State authorities with sufficient power for the future.

Within a session of four days laws were passed, clothing the Governor with power to raise ten regiments and a war loan of one million dollars.

Fully aware of the valuable and patriotic services to be required of the soldiers of the State, and of the great sacrifices which must be made by their families in their absence, and, at the same time, anticipating that some might be left unprovided for, or might be brought to want by the contingencies or casualties of war, the Legislature wisely enacted the “Soldiers’ Relief Law” for the relief of their families by counties, allowing more or less, according to their circumstances, but not exceeding fifteen dollars per month. This allowance, in case of the death of the soldier, to continue for one year after such death.

On May 13th the first regiment left for the seat of war fully armed and equipped.

Under the new legislation the organizing of regiments was rapidly pushed and the various requisitions upon the State for men promptly and expeditiously met.

The troops were ordered to be clothed, equipped and subsisted under the direction of the Quartermaster-General of the State on contracts made by the Military Contract Board, organized May 15th by legislative authority. This Board was composed of Colonels E. O. Grosvenor of Jonesville, Jerome Croul of Detroit and William Hammond of Marshall. Their duties were accomplished with much individual ability, great energy, coupled with an exemplary economy, and relieving the Quartermaster-General from much responsibility and labor.

The State Military Board was then composed of General A. S. Williams pg 151and Colonel H. M. Whittelsey of Detroit, Col. A. W. Williams of Lansing, and Col. C. W. Leffingwell of Grand Rapids, together with the Adjutant-General and Quartermaster-General of the State, members ex-officio.

In June following Col. Wm. M. Fenton was appointed a member of the Board in place of Col. Williams, who had gone to the field with the 2nd Infantry. Col. Fenton having entered the service, Col. E. H. Thomson succeeded him, and on the 13th of August was elected President of the Board.

J. H. Fountain of Manchester had been appointed Quartermaster-General in March, and was a faithful and energetic officer. He was ably aided in his arduous duties by Friend Palmer of Detroit who was appointed his assistant in May following. This officer, now Quartermaster-General, having served several years in the U. S. Quartermaster’s Department, rendered invaluable services to the State during the entire war, and to him the State is greatly indebted for the efficient and economical direction given to the administration of that Department.

General Fountain was succeeded as Quartermaster-General by General William Hammond of Marshall March 25th, 1863, who served until March 21st, 1865, when he was relieved by Gen. O. N. Giddings of Kalamazoo. Both these officers served with marked ability and faithfulness.

General Palmer, the present Quartermaster-General, followed General Giddings.

Colonel James E. Pittman of Detroit was appointed State Paymaster on the 21st of May, 1861, for the purpose of paying such Michigan troops as received pay from the State, a duty which he most faithfully executed. He also served as a member of the State Military Board, from September 19th, 1861, until November 1st, 1862, when he was commissioned as Inspector-General of the State.

When the war commenced General John Robertson held the appointment of Adjutant-General, and still acts in that capacity.

On April 1st, 1861, Captain Heber Le Favour was appointed Assistant Adjutant-General, and served until June 15th following, when he volunteered for field service, being relieved by Captain De Garmo Jones, who resigned May 6th, 1862. Both of these officers served with marked efficiency. Colonel Frederick Morley immediately succeeded Captain Jones, and served with eminent ability and distinction until the close of the war, rendering arduous and valuable services as Assistant Adjutant-General of the State.

RAISING OF TROOPS.

The President’s first call upon Michigan for troops to aid in suppressing the rebellion was, as previously stated, for one regiment only, and was most pg 152promptly met by the muster into service of the 1st infantry, under Colonel O. B. Wilcox, and its early movement to the seat of war in Virginia. This regiment was soon followed by the 2d infantry, in command of Colonel Israel B. Richardson, while at the same time many companies were recruited throughout the State without authority in the hope of obtaining places in some regiment; being disappointed in this respect they sought and found service in regiments of other States. In the meantime the organization of the 3d and 4th regiments had been commenced on the responsibility of the governor; and while they were in process of recruitment a letter was received from the Secretary of War limiting the force required from Michigan to four regiments only including the three months’ regiment, covering only authority for those already in the field and those being organized in the State. The letter referred to is inserted for the purpose of showing the estimate made at that time of the magnitude of the rebellion then fully inaugurated:

This policy was extremely at variance with the views entertained by the State executive regarding the necessities of the country at that time, and deeming an immediate preparation to meet coming emergencies his duty, assumed the responsibility of establishing a camp of instruction at Fort Wayne, near Detroit, for the officers of the 5th infantry, Col. H. D. Terry; 6th infantry, Col. F. W. Curtenius; and the 7th infantry, Col. Ira R. Grosvenor. On the 21st of May companies were assigned to those regiments, and their officers and non-commissioned officers were ordered to assemble at Fort Wayne on the 19th of June. The camp was organized and commanded by General A. S. Williams, assisted by Colonel J. E. Pittman, Major W. D. Wilkins, and Captain Henry M. Whittelsey. A course of instruction followed with much success until August 1st, when the camp was broken up, and the force sent to various localities to recruit their men and organize the regiments. This was accomplished with astonishing promptness, the 6th being mustered in August 20th, the 7th August 22d, and the 5th August 28th, and all had left for the field prior to the 12th of September.

The camp of instruction attracted much attention in other States, and received the favorable comments of public journals. It has always been considered in Michigan as a most judicious and eminently successful effort; its value becoming more and more apparent as the war progressed, not only in the efficiency of these particular regiments, but in many others, having the benefit of officers who had received the instruction of the camp.

Soon after the breaking up of the camp General Williams was appointed a brigadier general of volunteers and left for the field in Virginia, with Major Wilkins and Captain Whittelsey on his brigade staff.

About the time the camp was established the pressure for appointments pg 153as commissioned officers had reached its maximum, and men were being forced upon the consideration of the governor by influential citizens of both political parties to a most unbearable degree, and often with an utter disregard of fitness or qualification for the position. This pressure continued during the entire earlier portion of the war; and it might well be presumed that under such circumstances some improper appointments were likely to be made. Yet much care was uniformly exercised in the selection and promotion of officers, and always with qualification for the office and loyalty to the Government as the tests, more than personal friendship or political status.

The law of Congress of August 3d had authorized the President to receive into service 500,000 volunteers; the proportion of Michigan was understood at the time to be 19,500, but in the adjustment of credits 21,337 was charged against the State.

In addition to this force were Captain Duesler’s company (C) 1st U. S. sharp-shooters, (Berdan’s,) raised at large, equipped and armed by the State, mustered at Detroit on the 21st of August, with an aggregate strength of a hundred of the best picked riflemen in the State, and Captain A. B. Stuart’s company (B) 2d U. S. sharp-shooters, raised at Lansing and mustered at Detroit on the 4th of October, with an aggregate of seventy-eight on its muster-rolls.

Also, two companies of cavalry for the “Merrill Horse,” a Missouri regiment. These companies were recruited at Battle Creek, “H” by Captain J. H. Rogers, and “I” by Captain J. B. Mason, and both left the State on the 3d of September.

The “Jackson Guard,” a Detroit company, composed of Irishmen, raised by Captain John McDermott, failing to get a position in the early Michigan regiments, offered their services to Colonel James Mulligan, then recruiting a regiment in Illinois. They were accepted, and the company joined his command in June, and were with him in his gallant defence of Springfield, Missouri.

Several other Michigan companies, not obtaining places in Michigan regiments, getting impatient at the delay in finding an opportunity to serve their country, accepted service in regiments of other States. It would have afforded much pleasure to have been able to notice them more fully at this time, but sufficient data cannot be obtained for that purpose. These companies, so far as ascertained, were “E,” “F,” and “H,” 42d, and “B” and “H,” 44th regiments Illinois infantry, company “C,” 70th New York infantry, (Sickles Brigade,) from Paw Paw, mustered on the 21st of June in command of Captain W. H. Hugo; company “K,” 1st New York cavalry, raised at Grand Rapids and mustered on the 12th of August under command of Captain Anson N. Norton. The regiment was raised and organized by Col. A. T. McReynols, and was commanded by him in the field. Company “D,” 66th Illinois infantry, commonly designated as the “Western Sharpshooters,” mustered November 9th in command of Captain John Piper, of Battle Creek.

Under this call, Colonel T. F. Brodhead, of Detroit, received authority to raise the 1st regiment of cavalry, and a like authority was given to the Hon. F. W. Kellogg, of Grand Rapids, member of Congress from this State, to organize the 2d and 3d cavalry, while Colonel T. B. W. Stockton, of Flint, obtained authority to recruit and organize the Stockton regiment, afterwards designated as the 16th infantry.

In response to this requisition, the State continued recruiting, sending pg 154regiment after regiment to the field, and down to December, 1861, had sent the following organizations to the front:

The 1st regiment infantry, 3 months, from Detroit, May 15, 780 strong—Colonel O. B. Wilcox commanding.

The 1st regiment, from Ann Arbor, September 16, 751 strong—Colonel John C. Robinson commanding.

The 2d regiment infantry, from Detroit, June 5, 1020 strong—Colonel J. B. Richardson commanding.

The 3d regiment infantry, from Grand Rapids, June 13, 1042 strong—Colonel D. McConnell commanding.

The 4th regiment infantry, from Adrian, June 25, 1024 strong—Colonel D. A. Woodbury commanding.

The 5th regiment infantry, from Detroit, September 11, 900 strong—Col. H. D. Terry commanding.

The 6th regiment infantry, from Kalamazoo, August 30, 1020 strong—Col. F. W. Curtenius commanding.

The 7th regiment infantry, from Monroe, September 5, 1020 strong—Col. Ira R. Grosvenor commanding.

The 8th regiment infantry, from Detroit, September 27, 900 strong—Col. W. M. Fenton commanding.

The 9th regiment infantry, from Detroit, October 25, 943 strong—Col. W. W. Duffield commanding.

The 10th regiment infantry, from Detroit, September 16, 960 strong—Col. T. B. W. Stockton commanding.

The 11th regiment infantry, from White Pigeon, December 9, 1000 strong;—Col. W. J. May commanding.

The 1st regiment mechanics and engineers, from Marshal, December 11, 1000 strong—Col. W. P. Innes commanding.

The 1st regiment cavalry, from Detroit, September 29, 1150 strong—Col. T. F. Brodhead commanding.

The 2d regiment cavalry, from Grand Rapids, November 14, 1170 strong—Lieut. Col. W. C. Davis commanding.

The 3d regiment cavalry, from Grand Rapids, November 28, 1180 strong—Lieut. Col. R. H. G. Minty commanding.

The 1st battery, from Detroit, June 1, 123 strong—Captain C. O. Loomis commanding.

The 2d battery, from Grand Rapids, December 17, 110 strong—Captain W. S. Bliss commanding.

The 3d battery, from Grand Rapids, December 17, 80 strong—Captain A. W. Dees commanding.

The 4th battery, from White Pigeon, December 9, 126 strong—Captain A. F. Bidwell commanding.

The 5th battery, from Marshal, December 17, 76 strong—Captain J. H. Dennis commanding.

Ten of these regiments were clothed and subsisted by the State under the direction of the Quartermaster-General.

On the 2d of January, 1862, Governor Blair delivered his message to the Legislature, then in extra session. The following extract therefrom was accepted at the time as the expression of the people of the State on the war question:

“I cannot close this brief address without an allusion to the great object that occupies all men’s minds. The Southern rebellion still maintains a bold front against the Union armies. That is the cause of all our complications abroad and our troubles at home. To deal wisely with it is to find pg 155a short and easy deliverance from them all. The people of Michigan are no idle spectators of this great contest. They have furnished all the troops required of them, and are preparing to pay the taxes and to submit to the most onerous burdens without a murmur. They are ready to increase their sacrifices, if need be, to require impossibilities of no man, but to be patient and wait. But to see the vast armies of the Republic, and all its pecuniary resources, used to protect and sustain the accursed system which has been a perpetual and tyrannical disturber, and which now makes sanguinary war upon the Union and the Constitution, is precisely what they will never submit to tamely. The loyal States having furnished adequate means, both of men and money, to crush the rebellion, have a right to expect those men to be used with the utmost vigor to accomplish the object, and that without any mawkish sympathy for the interest of traitors in arms. Upon those who caused the war, and now maintain it, its chief burdens ought to fall. No property of a rebel ought to be free from confiscation—not even the sacred slave. The object of war is to destroy the power of the enemy, and whatever measures are calculated to accomplish that object, and are in accordance with the usages of civilized nations, ought to be employed. To undertake to put down a powerful rebellion, and, at the same time, to save and protect all the chief sources of the power of that rebellion, seems to common minds but a short remove from simple folly. He who is not for the Union, unconditionally, in this mortal struggle, is against it. The highest dictates of patriotism, justice, and humanity combine to demand that the war should be conducted to a speedy close upon principles of the most heroic energy and retributive power. The time for gentle dalliance has long since passed away. We meet an enemy, vindictive, bloodthirsty, and cruel, profoundly in earnest, inspired with an energy and self-sacrifice which would honor a good cause, respecting neither laws, constitutions, nor historic memories, fanatically devoted only to his one wicked purpose to destroy the Government and establish his slaveholding oligarchy in its stead. To treat this enemy gently is to excite his derision. To protect his slave property is to help him to butcher our people and burn our houses. No. He must be met with an activity and a purpose equal to his own. Hurl the Union forces, which outnumber him two to one, upon his whole line like a thunderbolt; pay them out of his property, feed them from his granaries, mount them upon his horses, and carry them in his wagons, if he has any, and let him feel the full force of the storm of war which he has raised. I would apologize neither to Kentucky nor anybody else for these measures, but quickly range all neutrals either on the one side or the other. Just a little of the courage and ability which carried Napoleon over the Alps, dragging his cannon through the snow, would quickly settle this contest, and settle it right. If our soldiers must die, do not let it be of the inactivity and diseases of camps, but let them at least have the satisfaction of falling like soldiers, amid the roar of battle, and hearing the shouts of victory; then will they welcome it as the tired laborer welcomes sleep. Let us hope that we have not much longer to wait.”

Following this patriotic and bold stand assumed by the Governor in his message, the Legislature, equally appreciating the great emergencies of the country, with firmness and pluck worthy of the people whom they represented, passed the following well-timed and highly appropriate joint resolution in reference to the rebellion:

Whereas the Government of the United States is engaged in putting down a causeless and wicked rebellion against its authority and sovereignty, inaugurated by ambitious men to obtain political power—a government, the pg 156safety and perpetuity of which must ever rest upon the loyalty of its citizens and an adherence to the Constitution;

And whereas the welfare of mankind, the usefulness and power of the nation, are involved in the events and issues of the present conflict; therefore, be it

Resolved, (the House concurring,) That Michigan, loyal to herself and to the Federal Government, reaffirms her undying hostility to traitors, her abiding love for freedom, and her confidence in the wisdom and patriotism of the national administration.

Resolved, (the House concurring,) That the people of Michigan deem it the imperative duty of the Government to speedily put down all insurrection against its authority and sovereignty, by the use of every constitutional means, and by the employment of every energy it possesses; that Michigan stands firm in her determination to sustain, by men and treasure, the Constitution and the Union, and claims that the burthen of loyal men should be lightened, as far as possible, by confiscating to the largest extent the property of all insurrectionists; and that as between the institution of slavery and the maintenance of the Federal Government, Michigan does not hesitate to say, that in such exigency, slavery should be swept from the land, and our country maintained.

Resolved, That the Governor be requested to forward a copy of the foregoing preamble and resolutions to each of our Senators and Representatives in Congress.

Approved January 18, 1862.

At the commencement of the year 1862 recruiting was being vigorously prosecuted under most favorable circumstances, brought about in part by a brisk competition, often leading to various schemes for inducing recruits to change regiments, both before and after muster, neither legitimate nor honest, but still considered by some as having the ring of a certain kind of smartness; and although there was much complaint and many protests made against this mode of operating, leading to the publication of prohibitory orders on the subject, it was found impossible to prevent the practice.

At the various recruiting depots in the State there were being hastily organized and rapidly equipped five regiments of infantry and three batteries of artillery. Their completion was most industriously pushed by the officers charged with their recruitment, and they left for the field as follows:

13th infantry, from Kalamazoo, February 12th, 925 strong, Col. M. Shoemaker commanding.

12th infantry, from Niles, March 18th, 1,000 strong, Col. Francis Quinn commanding.

15th infantry, from Monroe, March 27th, 869 strong, Col. J. M. Oliver commanding.

14th infantry, from Ypsilanti, April 17th, 925 strong, Col. R. P. Sinclair commanding.

10th infantry, from Flint, April 22d, 997 strong, Col. C. M. Lum commanding.

7th battery, from Kalamazoo, February 12th, 145 strong, Capt. C. H. Lamphere commanding.

6th battery, from Coldwater, March 3d, 158 strong, Capt. J. S. Andrews commanding.

8th battery, from Monroe, March 13th, 156 strong, Capt. Saml. De Gobyer commanding.

A lancer regiment, composed of a fine body of men, principally from Canada, had been raised by Col. Arthur Rankin, of Windsor, an English Canadian. pg 157It had been mustered into service with the maximum number and equipped, with the exception of horses. It would have left the State with those named, but was disbanded by an order of the War Department, contrary to the repeated protests of the Governor, and without giving any reason for such a procedure, losing to the service of the Union a remarkably fine appearing regiment.

Two more companies for the 1st U. S. sharp-shooters also left the State for the field; “I” in command of Capt. A. Milan Willett and “K” under the command of Spencer J. Mather, the former company mustered on the 4th and the latter on the 20th of March.

There was also a company of sharp-shooters raised in Detroit by Capt. Kin S. Dygert for the 10th Michigan, which was mustered on the 3d of February and joined the regiment in the field without delay.

In the month of April Capt. G. S. Wormer, of Detroit, was authorized to raise and equip a company of infantry to serve as a guard over Generals Burrows and Harding and Judge Hill, all influential citizens of Nashville, Tennessee, then rebel prisoners on the island of Mackinac, and who had been arrested by Andrew Johnson for treason. This company was designated the Stanton Guard. It was mustered into the service May 10th and immediately took transport for Mackinac, where it served until the 25th September following, when it was disbanded, the necessity for the service having passed away by the release of the prisoners.

The reports made in July by the several regiments, batteries, and independent companies gave an addition of 2,028 recruits to their original strength since their organization, showing a total of 24,281 officers and men enrolled from the commencement of the war to July 1st, and an estimated number of 1,453 enlistments in regiments of other States, giving 25,734 as the grand total. Add to this the lancer regiment disbanded, and a battalion of cavalry raised at Coldwater by Major Hughes, designated the “Chandler Horse Guard,” which was mustered out of service under an order of the War Department for irregularities in organization, and we have an aggregate of nearly twenty-seven thousand men enrolled and mustered into service previous to the first of July. Furnishing over six thousand more than had been called for by the requisition of the Government, exhibiting a degree of patriotism and promptness unsurpassed by any other State, and men too whose loyalty, patriotism, and courage had been tried and proved on almost every battle-field.

During McClellan’s disastrous peninsula campaign in May and June the Michigan regiments had become much depleted by the usual casualties of service and by wounds, disease, and death, whilst recruiting had entirely failed in the State. The 17th infantry was then organizing, and it was found almost impossible to obtain men for its completion, and recruits for regiments in the field could not be enlisted under any circumstances.

The following letter was post-marked Albion, Michigan, and addressed to the Adjutant-General of the State, and received in May, 1862:

This fearful condition of affairs had assumed so formidable a shape as to pg 158make it necessary to hold public meetings in some localities of the State to stimulate the people to more energy in the cause of the Union, and especially in recruiting for the regiments in the field. A public meeting for that purpose was called in Detroit, to be held in the afternoon of Tuesday, the 15th July, and on assembling on the Campus Martius in accordance with the call, and while the business in view was being proceeded with, the gathering were surprised by a mob of men, who furiously interrupted the deliberations and entirely broke up and dispersed the meeting, driving the officers from the stand, and compelling some of them to seek shelter and safety in the “Russell House,” a hotel adjacent to the Campus Martius. The exhibition of this rebel spirit in our midst proved of immediate and lasting advantage to the cause of the army in the field, for it aroused such a feeling of indignation at these disloyal and treasonable operations, and such utter contempt for the ruffians who had been thus engaged, that the masses of the respectable citizens of both political parties determined that such proceedings should not be tolerated in Detroit, and therefore next day a meeting was appointed for Tuesday, the 22d of July, to carry out the objects of the previous meeting, and for the further purpose of maintaining the right of citizens to hold such meetings without interference or molestation. An immense gathering assembled under the call, severely rebuking the disloyal element, and with unbounded enthusiasm avowing a most faithful and persistent support of the war, and pledging, with prodigal liberality, means and personal encouragement, and adopting instant measures for the recruitment of the regiments of the State, and urging the immediate re-enforcements of the armies of the Union.

This prompt action of the citizens had the desired effect, giving recruiting new life and energy, and led to the immediate proffer of the gallant 24th regiment to the cause of freedom and humanity, and served to end all open demonstrations in favor of rebellion in the metropolis of the State.

The general alarm for the cause of the Union, resulting from the reverses of McClellan, flashed over the State and brooded over her loyal people, being shared in for a short time by Michigan, in common with the other loyal States; but she soon rallied from a despondency which was but temporary, and burst forth with a renewed degree of unsurpassed vigorous energy and enlarged patriotism.

President Lincoln, advised by the Governors of the loyal States, who had consulted together regarding the emergency,^[6] issued a proclamation on July pg 1592d for 300,000 men, the War Department assigning to Michigan a quota of 11,686. On the 15th of July orders were published from the Adjutant General’s Department of the State urgently appealing to the people for a prompt and effective response, and prescribing regulations for a system of organization. The following is an extract from the order referred to:

“The Governor has confidence in the loyalty, patriotism, and courage of the people, that they will cheerfully respond to the President’s call, firmly believing that this force will be quickly raised to aid in speedily putting an end forever to this unjustifiable and cruel rebellion.

“The time has now arrived for men who love their country and desire its perpetuity as a nation to make sacrifices in its defence. Without resort to drafting, let the ranks be speedily filled, let every heart be nerved, and every man welcome the hour that calls him to his country’s rescue; let him be self-sacrificing, patriotic, and courageous; let him make the camp his home, and the brave soldiers of the Union his companions, until this national struggle be ended, and show that the privations, hardships, and dangers endured by the noble sons of the State who have fought their country’s battles, and that the bloody battle grounds so recently trodden by them have not drained the State of its patriots nor lessened the love of her people for the national flag, nor their determination that its folds shall float over them unimpaired forever.”

In addition to the 17th infantry in process of organization by recruits from the State at large, six regiments of infantry were ordered, and apportioned respectively to the six Congressional districts, confining the recruitment of each regiment to its own district, establishing a camp for each, and appointing commanders of camp, who were charged with the raising of the regiments. These regiments, having the following gentlemen as commanders of camp, were the 18th, at Hillsdale, Hon. Henry Waldron; 19th, at Dowagiac, Col. Henry C. Gilbert; 20th, at Jackson, Hon. Tidus Livermore; 21st, at Ionia, Hon. J. B. Welsh; 22d, at Pontiac, Col. Moses Wisner; and the 23d, at East Saginaw, Hon. D. H. Jerome.

The Adjutant-General of the State, in his report for 1862, says of the action of the people regarding this call:

“The response of the people of the State to the President’s call was patriotic and prompt almost beyond expectation. Individuals of every degree of prominence forthwith began to interest themselves in the business of filling the regiments. Communities gave to it their time and their almost exclusive attention, while, better than all, the substantial masses of the people offered themselves in person. War meetings were held in almost every village and township in the State. Representatives of all classes converted themselves either into recruits or recruiting officers, and among the most efficient of the latter were ministers of the Gospel, some of whom led the men they had enlisted into the field.”

The Christian Church in this State generally proved by its pronounced patriotism, and manifest devotion to the cause of the country, an element of immense success. All true patriots commend its noble cause, all faithful Christians endorse its glorious action. From the time that Sumter was fired pg 160on until Lee and Johnston laid down their rebellious arms, and Davis fled for his life, it encouraged and nerved by word and deed the soldier in the field, aided much in the recruitment of men by its approval of the cause, and its openly avowed abhorrence of rebels and those who sympathized with them and opposed the war. Where it did not, cowardice most mean and grovelling, disloyalty gross, and blackest treason, prevented its being included in the Providence of God among the instrumentalities to save the nation, and hence, neither deserves nor can expect any better fate than the certain condemnation of every true lover of his country and of his race, and the disapproval of the God of nations.

The valuable services rendered at this time by the loyal Press throughout the State can never be over-estimated; for its successful efforts in strengthening the hands of public officers, in moulding public opinion in favor of loyalty to the Government, in encouraging patriotism among the masses, and inspiring those at the front with a heroism leading to gallant deeds.

The Adjutant-General further says in his report:

“Immediately following the issue of this order, applications reached the Adjutant-General’s office, by telegraph and otherwise, from all sections of the State, urging authority to recruit, and desiring instructions and forms for the enlistment of companies. Facilities to promote this purpose were promptly furnished, and as soon as the camp grounds could be provided with suitable quarters, men began to flock in by companies and detachments. The gentlemen who had been charged with the duty of supervising the organization of the regiments performed their labors with diligence and success, and in little over a month from the date of the President’s call, men enough had been raised in the State, and nearly enough were in camp, to fill all the regiments which the War Department had asked for as the number first needed under the President’s requisition.

“In the meantime, while the patriotism of the people was thus zealously manifesting itself in all portions of the State, the people of Detroit and of Wayne county desired an opportunity to put in the field a regiment of their own citizens, in addition to those already in progress. Authority was promptly given by the Governor for this purpose, and the 24th regiment was ordered, organized under the direction of Colonel H. A. Morrow, and placed in rendezvous at Detroit, making the eighth infantry regiment then in course of completion.”

The Executive of the nation, Abraham Lincoln, was looking anxiously into the future and calling earnestly upon the States for information as to what he might expect to sustain him in meeting coming emergencies. Under date of July 28th, he telegraphed to Governor Blair:

“It would be of great service here for us to know as fully as you can tell, what progress is made and making in recruiting for old regiments in your State. Also, about what day the first new regiment can move from you, what the second, what the third, and so on. This information is important to us in making calculations. Please give it as promptly and accurately as you can.”

To this dispatch the Governor instantly replied as follows:

“Very little can be done in recruiting old regiments until the new regiments are filled up; although every exertion will be made to do so. The new regiments will commence to take the field about the 1st September, or sooner, if possible, and will all be in service in the field during that month.”

In providing for the immense reinforcements to the national armies under this call, some delay in arming and equipping the troops unavoidably occurred, and the Michigan regiments were ready before their field equipment. pg 161With great dispatch, however, they were put in readiness for the field, and left the State fully armed, clothed, and equipped, in the order hereafter mentioned.

On the completion of the eight regiments referred to, it was ascertained that in the rush to the rescue more companies had been raised than could be placed in the district regiments, and on the 20th of August an order was issued from the Adjutant-General’s office directing the recruitment of the 25th and 26th regiments of infantry, and assigning the surplus companies thereto.

The 25th rendezvoused at Kalamazoo, under the direction of the Hon. H. G. Wells, commandant of camp, and the 26th at Jackson, in command of Colonel Judson S. Farrar. They were put in condition for active service with much promptness, and left the State immediately thereafter.

About the time that the President’s last call for volunteers appeared, the Governor had permission from the War Department to send into the field another regiment of cavalry, and authority was given to Colonel R. H. G. Minty, then lieutenant-colonel of the 3d cavalry, to proceed at once to raise the 4th cavalry. Appointments to recruit were eagerly sought for, and the regiment was rapidly raised to the maximum, and on the 20th of July was ordered into rendezvous at Detroit. On the 29th of August it was mustered into the United States service, and was only awaiting its horses and equipments. As soon as these were provided, it left the State on the 26th of September.

Soon after the organization of the 4th, Colonel J. T. Copeland, late of the 1st cavalry, sought and obtained the permission of the War Department, approved by the Governor, to raise another regiment for the same branch of service; and still later—when the President had issued an order providing for the draft of a further force of 300,000 men, Hon. F. W. Kellogg, member of Congress from this State, secured authority (also subject to approval by the Governor) to raise two additional regiments for the same arm. The 5th and 6th cavalry, comprising two of the three regiments thus authorized, were recruited with great rapidity, and would have been in the field by the 1st of October had horses, arms, and equipments been provided as fast as the men were ready for them. They left the State in the early part of December.

The 9th battery of light artillery was raised in connection with the 5th cavalry, by Captain I. I. Daniels, and left for the field with that regiment, fully equipped and mounted.

The bodies of troops thus referred to comprise all the district organizations that were sent from the State into active service since the requisition of the President, made on the 2d of July, and are as follows:

The 17th regiment infantry, from Detroit, August 27, 982 strong—Colonel W. H. Withington commanding.

The 24th regiment infantry, from Detroit, August 29, 1027 strong—Colonel H. A. Morrow commanding.

The 20th regiment infantry, from Jackson, September 1, 1012 strong—Colonel A. W. Williams commanding.

The 18th regiment infantry, from Hillsdale, September 4, 1002 strong—Colonel C. E. Doolittle commanding.

The 22d regiment infantry, from Pontiac, September 4, 997 strong—Col. M. Wisner commanding.

The 21st regiment infantry, from Ionia, September 12, 1007 strong—Col. A. E. Stevens commanding.

The 19th regiment infantry, from Dowagiac, September 14, 995 strong—Col. pg 162H. C. Gilbert commanding.

The 23d regiment infantry, from East Saginaw, September 18, 883 strong—Col. M. W. Chapin commanding.

The 4th regiment cavalry, from Detroit, September 26, 1223 strong—Col. R. H. G. Minty commanding.

The 25th regiment infantry, from Kalamazoo, September 29, 896 strong—Col. O. H. Moore commanding.

The 9th battery, from Detroit, December 4, 168 strong—Captain J. J. Daniels commanding.

The 5th regiment cavalry, from Detroit, December 4, 1305 strong—Col. J. T. Copeland commanding.

The 6th regiment cavalry, from Grand Rapids, December 10, 1220 strong—Col. George Gray commanding.

The 26th regiment infantry, from Jackson, December 13, 903 strong—Col. J. S. Farrar commanding.

The quality of the men, physically, mentally, and morally, forming the material of these regiments, has never been and can never be excelled in the armies of any State or nation, and it may well be questioned if it was ever equaled outside of the limits of the Union.

The infantry regiments went to the field thoroughly armed and equipped, the arms furnished being of a superior quality. The cavalry were equally well equipped; but a portion of the arms of some of them were not furnished until after reaching the seat of war.

At the time the call was made by the President, and on which the above designated regiments were raised, much anxiety as to coming events and results existed throughout the land, and great despondency pervaded the masses, prevailing to an alarming extent in the army. The disasters of Bull Run and Ball’s Bluff, and Bank’s retreat from the Valley of the Shenandoah were fresh in the memory. McClellan’s fruitless peninsula campaign had just terminated. Gloom covered the Union cause throughout the North, and loyal hearts were sad. But with these disasters and discouragements patriotism seemed to grapple, and strong and loyal men flocked to service under the standard of their country, without money or price, and with laudable determination. The regiments referred to were recruited in these memorable days, the darkest of the rebellion. Fighting had produced much suffering, and bullets, death, and war had proved a fearful reality; yet patriotism in Michigan was at its maximum, and her people demonstrated their indomitable pluck.

While great activity prevailed among the people and in the State Military Departments, in meeting the call of July 2d, strong hopes were entertained that the final requisition for additional volunteers had been reached. The President issued an order on the 4th of August for a draft to be made without delay of 300,000 militia to serve for nine months. On the 9th of the same month general orders were promulgated by the War Department, assigning the quotas of the several States, that of Michigan being 11,686, same as under the last call.

Special instructions of a later date directed that if volunteers for old and new regiments mustered from July 2d exceeded the number called for (11,686) the excess might be deducted from the number drafted.

Accepting the exigency, the Governor issued his proclamation to the proper civil officers of each township and ward to make a complete census of the citizens of proper age and forward returns to the county clerk of their respective counties on or before the 10th day of September following. This pg 163new demand upon the resources and patriotism of the people was assented to with great unanimity, and its propriety and necessity generally accepted, but the desire was to obviate a draft, and strong efforts were being put forth to furnish the quota in volunteers.

The commissioners appointed by the Governor to superintend the draft, together with the sheriffs and clerks of counties, were constituted recruiting officers.

General orders were issued from the Adjutant-General’s Department of the State, apportioning the quota to be raised on the basis of the census of 1860, (the military enumeration being yet incomplete,) and accrediting each county with the number of men which had been furnished by each since the 2d of July, as shown by special returns made from the regiments themselves, and appointing the following-named persons to carry the draft into effect in their respective counties:

Allegan county, Henry Dumont, commissioner; L. Foster, surgeon. Branch county, Geo. A. Coe, commissioner; Phineas P. Nichols, Henry B. Stillman, surgeons. Berrien county, Charles R. Brown, commissioner; John M. Roe, Morgan Enos, surgeons. Bay county, Henry Raymond, commissioner; Chas. H. Reynolds, surgeon. Barry county, Norman Bailey, commissioner; John Roberts, surgeon. Calhoun county, J. B. Greenough, commissioner; Z. T. Slater, W. H. Johnson, surgeons. Cass county, Chas. W. Clisbee, commissioner; Alonzo Garwood, surgeon. Clinton county, R. Strickland, commissioner; Dr. Topping, surgeon. Cheboygan county, ——; Eaton county, Joseph M. Hazlett, commissioner; Alden B. Sampson, surgeon. Emmet county, ——. Genessee county, Warner Lake, commissioner; Daniel Clarke, surgeon. Gratiot county, ——, commissioner; John B. Cheeseman, surgeon. Grand Traverse, Morgan Bates, commissioner; ——, surgeon. Hillsdale county, E. O. Grosvenor, commissioner; A. Cressy, surgeon. Huron county, W. D. Luddington, commissioner. Ingham county, Lemuel Woodhouse, commissioner; Dr. Hill, surgeon. Ionia county, Albert Williams, commissioner. Isabella county, ——. Jackson county, Eugene Pringle, commissioner; Gordon Chittack, surgeon. Kent county, P. H. L. Pierce, commissioner; Almon M. Ellsworth, surgeon. Kalamazoo county, Charles S. May, commissioner; Wm. Mottram, surgeon. Lapeer county, Virtulon Rich, commissioner; Oliver T. Strowbridge, surgeon. Livingston county, William Riddle, commissioner; Chas. W. Haze, surgeon. Lenawee county, Perley Bills, commissioner; Dr. Pearsoll, Edwin P. Andrews, surgeons. Leelanau county, ——. Macomb county, Dexter Muzzy, commissioner. Mecosta county, ——. Midland county, Lorenzo F. Taylor, commissioner. Manitou county, ——. Mason county, ——. Manistee county, ——. Monroe county, Edwin P. Dorch, commissioner and surgeon. Montcalm county, R. K. Divine, commissioner. Muskegon county, Chauncey Davis, commissioner. Newaygo county, John A. Brooks, commissioner; A. D. Leonard, surgeon. Oceana county, ——. Ottawa county, C. B. Albee, commissioner; J. D. North, surgeon. Oakland county, Clark Beardslee, commissioner. Shiawassee county, Iona Fuller, commissioner; David F. Alsdorf, surgeon. Saginaw county, Addison Brewer, commissioner; Hiram C. Driggs, surgeon. St. Clair county, Marcus H. Miles, commissioner; C. M. Stockwell, surgeon. St. Joseph county, John W. Frey, commissioner; Francis J. Morse, surgeon. Tuscola county, Charles B. Mills, commissioner; Wm. Johnson, surgeon. Van Buren county, O. T. Welch, commissioner; John W. Emery, Eugene Bitely, Decatur, surgeons. Washtenaw county, James McMahon, commissioner; D. A. Post, Ebenezer Mills, surgeons. Wayne county, Christian H. Buhl, commissioner; E. M. Clark, J. M. Swift, pg 164Louis Davenport; Dr. Keiffer, surgeons. C. H. Buhl of Wayne resigned after serving a considerable time, and was succeeded by Joseph Warren.

In counties where commissioners and surgeons were not appointed by this order, the Sheriffs thereof were authorized to designate commissioners, with power to appoint surgeons.

On account of the want of preparation in most of the States for an immediate draft, the Government found it expedient to postpone the period for it to take place and to extend the time for the completion of the regiments in process of organization.

In the meantime the most strenuous and effective measures were being continued by most of the townships and wards then behind to furnish the number required of them without recourse to draft, and to aid in this, large local bounties were offered and the most efficient means of recruiting employed.

The results of the military census are presented in the following table taken from the Adjutant-General’s report for 1862. Where the figures are omitted in the first column, the counties failed to make returns.

Table showing the number of persons between the ages of 18 and 45 enrolled by Assessors, September 10, 1862, the number exempted, and the number subject to draft; together with the number returned in June, under a law of the State.

In the same report of the Adjutant-General is found the following statement pg 165regarding the population of counties and the number of persons subject to draft on the basis of the census of 1860:

“The total population of the counties above enumerated at the census of 1860 was 715,595. The proportion of persons residing therein who are subject to draft is as 1 to 857-1000. The counties which have made no returns are Alcona, Alpena, Chippewa, Delta, Gratiot, Grand Traverse, Houghton, (included with Keweenaw in 1860,) Iosco, Leelanau, Marquette, Manitou, Manistee, Muskegon, Osceola, Oceana, Ontonagon, Presque Isle, and Schoolcraft, and their aggregate population in 1860 was 35,415. The same ratio which rules in the counties from which returns have been received would produce in the counties last mentioned a military strength of 4,507, making the aggregate of persons yet remaining in the State between the ages of 18 and 45, and subject to draft for military purposes, 95,578, less the number of volunteers who have enlisted since September 10, 1862.”

The War Department, now fully aware of many obstacles in the way of making a draft at that time and hoping that the necessary additional troops could be raised by volunteer enlistments, left the time for drafting to the discretion of the governors.

Early in September three companies of men, nearly full, had been offered from the Upper Peninsula, and there was reason to believe that three more would be filled in the same section of country. The 27th infantry was, therefore, with the assent of the Government, organized and put in rendezvous at Port Huron in command of Lieut. Col. Thomas S. Sprague. The authority given by the War Department to Col. Kellogg to raise the 7th cavalry was confirmed by the Governor, and that regiment was thereupon organized and ordered, under date of October 29th, to rendezvous at Grand Rapids.

At the same time the Governor accorded permission, (the same having been previously given by the General Government, subject to his approval,) to Col. John Stockton, of Mount Clemens, and to Capt. James J. David, of Trenton, then in the U. S. Quartermaster’s Department, to raise an additional regiment of cavalry, and the 8th was thereupon ordered, with its camp at Mount Clemens, and the 9th, which had its rendezvous at Coldwater.

An urgent desire having been manifested to organize another infantry regiment, Col. Edward Doyle, of Detroit, received authority, with the assent of the War Department, to raise the 28th; and on application the Department also consented to the raising of a regiment of sharp-shooters, the organization of which had been placed in the charge of Capt. C. V. DeLand, of the 9th infantry. The Government had specially authorized advanced bounty and one month’s pay to volunteers in either of these regiments, and vigorous efforts were very generally entered upon to fill their ranks.

It was supposed by many citizens that were an opportunity offered for men to enlist for the same term as the law provided for drafted levies—nine months—larger numbers would avail themselves of it to volunteer for that period who declined to accept a longer service. Willing to afford every reasonable encouragement to the disposition so generally manifested to furnish all the men required without resorting to draft, and fully mindful, also, of his obligations to the National Government, His Excellency, on the 29th of November, issued a proclamation which so clearly represents the situation at the time, and is so intimately connected with the State military record, that we take the liberty of presenting it in full:

The aggregate number of troops enlisted and mustered up to December 23d, 1862, as reported by the Adjutant-General, was as follows:

Total, including recruits, sent to the field before July 1st, 1862, 24,281; “Lancers” and “Hughes’ Horse Guards,” regularly mustered into the service, but disbanded without leaving the State, 987; three regiments of cavalry, ten of infantry, and one battery, sent since July 1st, 13,739; recruits (including six for nine months) received from July 1st to December 23d, 2,162; estimated strength of three regiments of cavalry, two of infantry, one of sharp-shooters, and two batteries, organizing in the State, 4,400. Total, 45,569.

This does not include volunteers from this State who have gone into the regiments of other States, to a number known to exceed 1,400.

A considerable number of recruits had also been enlisted in the State pg 167during the summer and fall for the regular army, probably three or four hundred at least.

These troops, with the exception of a few of the earlier regiments that were mustered into service by the late Lieut. Col. E. Buckus, Capt. J. C. Robinson, and Capt. H. R. Miner, U. S. army, were mustered under the direction of the late Gen. J. R. Smith, U. S. army, a citizen and resident of Michigan, who was United States military commander in the State and chief mustering officer until the adoption of the provost marshal’s system when he was detailed as commissary of musters, in which capacity he served until the close of the war. The energetic and faithful services rendered by him aided much in facilitating the speedy despatch of troops to the front.

The report of the Adjutant-General of the State for 1862 closes with the following extract, which undoubtedly expressed the estimation in which the Michigan troops were held, and did not by any means over-estimate their services, and certainly was correct as to the loyalty and patriotism of the people at that period of the war:

“At the time of making the last annual report from this department, covering only a small portion of the force now in the service from this State, it was thought that the regiments then reported would be all that would be required to suppress the rebellion; but another year is nearly closed, and regiment after regiment has been raised, until a large army has gone from the State, and still the rebellion goes on. Notwithstanding all this, the loyalty and patriotism of the people is unexhausted. The same determination seems to exist as at the commencement of the war, that it must be put down, and the nation redeemed at any sacrifice. The promptness and cheerfulness with which every call made by the General Government upon the State has been responded to bespeaks the intelligent loyal patriotism of its people. The people of Michigan are intelligently loyal on the subject of the war, and her soldiery are intelligently brave and patriotic, true to the honor of their State and their nation, preferring on all occasions death before dishonoring either.

“The troops from the State of Michigan have gained a prominent position in the armies of the nation. They have done their duty faithfully, fully, and fearlessly, and borne the brunt of many well-fought fields. Some of them have proved an anomaly in modern warfare; suddenly called from the common avocations of life, and within a very few days of the time of leaving their native State, they have been pitted against the veteran troops of the enemy of their country in superior numbers, and completely routed them. It has been the fortune of some of them voluntarily and successfully to lead the ‘forlorn hope,’ regardless of opposing numbers. Their scars and thinned ranks now attest their services to their country. The honor of their nation and their State has been safe in their hands, and both will cherish and reward them. Monuments to the memory of the brave dead are now erected in the hearts of the people, and national monuments to their memory will be erected by a grateful country.”

The military operations in the field in 1862 had not been much in favor of the Union cause. In December the Union army in Virginia had failed in its attack on Fredericksburg, the Western army had been successful at Stone River in the same month, both important engagements, and in effect nearly balancing. Yet the people of the country seemed not to be discouraged nor to falter in their determination to press on to ultimate success by putting down the nefarious rebellion. In good old Michigan loyalty and patriotism seemed in the ascendant.

Governor Blair, in his message to the Legislature, in January, 1863, in pg 168speaking to the Michigan soldiers in the field, alludes to their services as follows:

“Gentlemen, I commend the Michigan troops to your active sympathy and support. By their heroic endurance of the hardships of war, and by their splendid bravery in battle, they have crowned the State with glory. Their battle-cry is ‘Michigan! remember Michigan,’ and Michigan must remember them. We have already a long list of immortal heroes dead in battle. I hope you will in some appropriate way place upon the enduring records of the State your appreciation of the valor and patriotic devotion of these brave men. Let us hand down their names to posterity upon an illuminated page, that they may be revered as examples for all time to come. They belong to history now. We must take care that it is rightly written. Your hearty thanks are also due to the gallant men who still uphold the flag of our country in the field, and have lately borne it on to victory over bloody ground. Let us send them warm words of cheer from home. May God give them other and greater victories, and bring them speedily back in peace and triumph. Then, indeed, shall Heaven’s arches ring with glad shouts of welcome.”

In February following, the Legislature expressed in the following joint resolution the sentiments of the Michigan people on the war question:

“That we are unalterably opposed to any terms of compromise and accommodation with the rebels while under arms and acting in hostility to the Government of the Union, and on this we express but one sentiment—unconditional submission and obedience to the laws and Constitution of the Union.”

In March, the following preamble and resolutions were passed by the Legislature in compliment to the Michigan soldiers in the field:

Whereas the citizen soldiers of Michigan have responded cheerfully to their country’s call, have never hesitated or faltered when duty prompted or danger threatened, and by their indomitable fortitude under the fatigues and privations of war, their heroic bravery and brilliant achievements upon the battle-field, have crowned themselves with glory, and given to Michigan imperishable renown; therefore,

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Michigan, That, tendering to them the thanks of the State for their valuable services, we also assure them that while Michigan thus holds them forth as examples of emulation to the soldiers of other States, she is also proudly grateful to them for the renown which their noble deeds have shed upon her name, and claiming them for her own, she points to them with feelings of maternal pride, and in the language of the noble Roman mother exclaims, “These are my jewels.”

Resolved, That the Governor be, and he is hereby, required to forward a copy of the foregoing preamble and joint resolution to each of the regiments and batteries of Michigan soldiers now in the field.

An act was passed by this Legislature authorizing the payment by the Quartermaster-General of $50, State bounty from March 6, 1863, which was continued until November 20th following. The Legislature also legalized the action of the townships, cities, and counties in raising bounties for volunteers.

In compliance with a recommendation of the Governor, the Legislature generously appropriated $20,000 to assist sick and wounded soldiers in the field, and likewise to aid those in the State, and in payment for services of agents to properly carry into effect the measure. In 1865 an additional amount of $25,000 was set apart for that purpose.

Under the law referred to six agents were appointed, and entered upon pg 169this duty: Benjamin Vernon, at Detroit; Dr. J. Turonicliffe, Jr., at Washington, D. C.; Luther B. Willard, at Nashville, Tenn.; J. B. Gillman, at Louisville, Ky.; Weston Flint, at St. Louis, Mo.; and Darius Clark, in New York city. During the latter part of the war D. A. Millard was employed at the Washington agency.

The necessity for these agencies became more and more apparent every day as the war progressed, proving of immense benefit to the Michigan troops in general, and particularly to those who found it necessary to accept pecuniary assistance. The agencies were managed by gentlemen much in sympathy with the cause of the soldiers, taking much interest in their welfare, consequently laboring faithfully in their behalf.

At the commencement of 1863, three regiments of cavalry, two of infantry, one of sharp-shooters, and two batteries were in process of recruitment within the State.

During January, the company known as the “Provost Guard,” raised by Captain E. D. Robinson, under authority from the War Department, for duty at the Detroit Barracks, was mustered into service. Also company “L,” “Merrill Horse,” recruited at Battle Creek by Captain Almon E. Preston.

The 7th cavalry, recruiting for which had commenced in September previous, remained in rendezvous at Grand Rapids until the 20th of February following, when eight companies, which had been completed, were ordered to report at Washington, and a few days thereafter took up their march for that purpose, under command of Colonel W. D. Mann. The remaining battalion was left in camp to recruit, and joined the regiment in the field during the month of May.

The 8th cavalry, at its rendezvous at Mt. Clemens, enlisted a force in officers and men of 1,117, as is shown by its muster-in rolls, and two battalions moved towards Kentucky on the 12th of May, under command of Colonel John Stockton, the remaining companies following two weeks thereafter.

The 9th cavalry, under command of Colonel James J. David, took up its line of march from Coldwater to Cincinnati on the 18th, 20th, and 25th of May, leaving two incomplete companies to be filled. These soon after joined the regiment in the field. The muster-in rolls show the original strength of the regiment as 1,073.

Recruiting for the two regiments of infantry forming, in December—the 27th and 28th—proceeded so slowly that it was determined, in view of the exigencies of the service, to consolidate them, and on the 1st of February the 27th was ordered to break camp at Port Huron and proceed to the rendezvous of the 28th, at Ypsilanti. The process of consolidation was there completed, the united regiments becoming known as the 27th Michigan Infantry. On the 12th of April, eight companies being filled, began their movement to Cincinnati, under command of Colonel D. M. Fox, their muster-in rolls showing an aggregate of 865. The completion of the regiment was afterwards effected.

The 1st regiment of Michigan sharp-shooters, which had its first rendezvous at Kalamazoo, was afterward transferred to Dearborn, and on the 8th of July, six companies only being filled, was ordered to Indianapolis, under command of Colonel C. V. DeLand. The completed muster-in rolls of the regiment show an aggregate of 963.

The 10th battery, under command of Captain J. C. Schultz, left Grand pg 170Rapids with the 7th cavalry, destined to Washington, its muster-in roll containing the names of 104 officers and men.

The 11th battery, under Captain Charles J. Thompson, raised in connection with the 9th cavalry, left Coldwater with the regiment, having 108 names on its muster-in rolls, and reported at headquarters of the Department of Ohio, at Cincinnati.

The 12th battery, Captain E. G. Hillier, which had a somewhat informal origin in connection with the 8th cavalry, was ordered to Dearborn after the departure of the latter regiment. It proceeded thence to Indianapolis in July. The muster-in roll of the battery shows that up to its completion 219 officers and men had been mustered in.

The quota of the State, under the President’s call of August 4, 1862, for 300,000 militia remaining unfilled, a draft was made in February following, on the basis of the census of 1860, in the counties then in arrear for the small deficiency then existing. The number of men drafted was 1278. Of this number (either of themselves or by substitutes) 710 were delivered at the United States barracks at Detroit, 545 of whom were sent to various regiments and batteries in the field, a few of the remainder deserting, while others were discharged for alienage, disability, or other causes, by United States authorities. Of the 545 men thus realized from the draft for a service of nine months each, 430 were induced to enlist for three years, 115 only going into the field for the shorter term. These facts are exhibited in clearer detail in the subjoined table, showing the result of the draft:

On the 23d of June Col. F. W. Kellogg was authorized by the War Department pg 171to raise two additional regiments of cavalry and two more batteries of artillery, to be completed within forty days. The authority was upon the direct and urgent requests of the Secretary of War endorsed by the Governor, although he had determined to raise no more new regiments, but to receive volunteers only for the wasted regiments in the field. Having thus consented to the proposed increase, the 10th cavalry and 13th battery were thereupon, under the personal management of Col. Kellogg, placed in rendezvous at Grand Rapids, and the 11th cavalry and 14th battery were also organized under the same direction, with headquarters at Kalamazoo. It was found impracticable, however, to complete these bodies within the time originally limited, and the 10th cavalry, in command of Col. Thaddeus Foote, of Grand Rapids, left its camp for Lexington, Kentucky, on the 1st of December, and the 11th, in command of Col. S. B. Brown, of St. Clair, for the same destination on the 17th, the former numbering 912 and the latter 921 on their muster-in rolls. The two batteries remaining in the State in the process of organization.

The Michigan cavalry had been so uniformly celebrated in the Union armies that the War Department gave the State a preference regarding that arm of service; consequently Michigan furnished eleven regiments, a larger proportion of her troops in cavalry than did any other State. To Col. Kellogg unusual credit should be awarded, having by indefatigable and persistent energy, with great ability and tact in that direction, raised six of these fine regiments, an achievement unparalleled in the recruitment of troops in this or any other State.

In July the Secretary of War commissioned Henry Barns, of Detroit, a colonel in the United States army, with authority to recruit a colored regiment in Michigan. With the approval of the Governor he at once commenced this arduous task, and the 1st Michigan colored infantry were placed in process of recruitment. The organization was completed on the 17th of February following, when it was mustered into the service of the United States, with 895 names on its rolls. The designation of the regiment was afterwards changed by the War Department, with the consent of the Governor of the State, to the 102d United States colored troops. It left its rendezvous at Detroit on the 28th of March to join the Ninth Army Corps, then at Annapolis, Maryland.

In March, 1863, the Congress of the United States passed “An act for enrolling and calling out the national forces,” which provided elaborate details for the accomplishment of the object in view, leaving their execution exclusively in the hands of the Federal authorities.

Under the law referred to, the national force was declared to consist, with certain specified exceptions, of “all able-bodied male citizens of the United States and persons of foreign birth who shall have declared on oath their intention to become citizens under and in pursuance of the laws thereof, between the ages of twenty and forty-five years;” and this force was divided into two classes, the first to comprise “all persons subject to do military duty between the ages of twenty and thirty-five years, and all unmarried persons subject to do military duty above the age of thirty-five and under the age of forty-five,” the second to comprise “all other persons subject to do military duty;” and it was provided that the latter class “shall not, in any district, be called into the service of the United States until those of the first-class shall have been called.” Each Congressional district was formed into an enrollment district, a provost marshal and board of enrollment provided for each, and these districts were again divided into sub-districts, consisting of wards and townships.

Lieut. Col. Bennett H. Hill, 5th U. S. artillery, was appointed by the pg 172War Department Acting Assistant Provost Marshal General of the State. Col. Hill proved to be an officer of great executive ability, truly loyal and patriotic. He superintended the enrollment and drafting in Michigan during the war. He was a graduate of the Military Academy at West Point and a native of the District of Columbia.

The following named gentlemen served as provost marshals:

First District—John S. Newberry, of Detroit, who was succeeded by Mark Flanigan, of the same place; headquarters at Detroit.

Second District—Rollin C. Dennison, of Kalamazoo; headquarters at that place.

Third District—Robert J. Barry, of Ann Arbor; headquarters at Jackson.

Fourth District—Norman Bailey, of Hastings; headquarters at Grand Rapids.

Fifth District—Charles M. Walker, of Lapeer, now of Adrian, who was succeeded by William M. McConnell, of Pontiac; headquarters at that point.

Sixth District—Randolph Strickland, of St. John’s; headquarters at Flint.

The rendezvous for the reception of drafted men was established at Grand Rapids, and was placed in charge of Gen. S. G. Champlin, formerly of 3d Michigan, and remained under his command until disability caused by wounds rendered his continuance on duty impossible. He was relieved by Col. Norman J. Hall, of the 7th Michigan, who was in turn relieved by Col. Charles H. Town, 1st Michigan cavalry.

The rendezvous was continued at Grand Rapids until March 4th, 1864, when it was changed to Jackson on account of its central location. Col. G. S. Wormer had charge of it until authorized to raise the 30th infantry, when he was relieved on the 20th of November following by Gen. L. Cutler, of Wisconsin, who continued in command until recruiting for the armies ended.

Through these agencies a general enrollment was made during the summer; the following exhibit, is derived from the returns made to Colonel Hill, showing the total numbers so enrolled in the State:

Recapitulation by Districts

On the completion of the enrollment in each of the several States, a draft was ordered to be made of one-fifth of the first class so enrolled therein; this number, however, to be subject to such modifications as might be produced by an adjustment of the surplus or deficiency existing in the accounts of each State under previous calls. In other words, a State which had furnished more than had been asked for under previous calls of the General Government was to be credited with the excess. In making the computations necessary to this adjustment, the term of service and number of men furnished were alike taken into account, and the advantages to the people of the State of the policy which had prevailed of encouraging three years’ enlistments, at periods when other States were placing nine months’ or two years’ men in the field, became strikingly manifest. A statement sent to the Adjutant-General’s office from the War Department gave, on the 26th of May, a surplus to be applied on the impending draft of 4,403 men. It had been the practice, in the absence of official data from Washington, to estimate the quota of Michigan under the calls of 1861 at 19,500, that being about the result of calculations based upon the census returns of population. It appeared by this statement, however, that the Federal authorities had assumed 21,357 as the apportionment of the State under the call referred to. Notwithstanding the diminution occasioned by this discovery, the surplus credited to us still appeared to be considerably less than was due the pg 174State according to its own records, and after correspondence and examination the legitimate credit of the State was estimated on the 19th of September at a total, reduced to a three years’ standard, of 9,518, including such as had been enlisted since the statement of May 26th.

The extent of our territory, and the difficulty of communication in some portions of it, with other causes perhaps, delayed the completion of the enrollment until the fall. On the 27th of October, a draft began in the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth Congressional districts, and on the 5th of November in the first—the number of enlistments which had been made down to those dates having been previously added to the credits of the several sub-districts. The upper peninsula was not included in the draft.

In making a draft under the existing law, it was provided that fifty per cent. be added to the number required to cover exemptions, &c.—the quota actually called for to be taken in the order of numerical precedence from the whole number drawn. The total number drafted in the State was 6,383. Of these, 261 were delivered at the general rendezvous at Grand Rapids, 643 furnished acceptable substitutes, (43 of whom deserted before reaching rendezvous,) 1,626 paid each $300 commutation money, 1,596 were exempted for physical disability, 330 as aliens, 204 for unsuitableness of age, and 1,069 failed to report. The subjoined table, giving the result in each Congressional district, is interesting:

The total amount of money paid to the bounty fund of the General Government pg 175by men taken under this draft, as commutation to secure exemption from personal service, was four hundred and eighty-seven thousand eight hundred dollars, ($487,800.)

In October a new system of recruiting was adopted by the War Department, allowing to persons properly authorized as recruiting agents $15 for each recruit. Subsequently this allowance was extended to all citizens alike. For the purpose of encouraging volunteer enlistments, Government bounties to volunteers were also largely increased—$302 to those going into service for the first time, and $402 to veterans re-enlisting, while local bounties of liberal amount were offered in most of the counties.

On the 17th of October, the President of the United States issued a proclamation calling upon “the Governors of the different States to raise and have enlisted into the United States service for the various companies and regiments in the field from their respective States, their quotas of 300,000 men.” It was further proclaimed that the large bounties previously ordered should be continued to volunteers, and that if any State or district should fail to fill its quota, a draft would be made on the 5th of January ensuing, for the deficiency. The quotas of the several Congressional districts of the State were assigned by the Provost Marshal-General as follows: first district, 2,137; second district, 2,074; third district, 1,861; fourth district, 1,545; fifth district, 1,768; sixth district, 1,913—total for the State, 11,298.

The Governor, ever ready for action when the necessities of the Government required it, desirous of securing a prompt and effective response to the call of the President, issued a stirring proclamation, of which follows an extract, invoking immediate and energetic action by the people to meet the demand without a draft:

“This call is for soldiers to fill the ranks of the regiments in the field—those regiments which by long and gallant service have wasted their numbers in the same proportion that they have made a distinguished name, both for themselves and the State. The people of Michigan will recognize this as a duty already too long delayed. Our young men, I trust, will hasten to stand beside the heroes of Antietam, Gettysburg, Vicksburg, Stone river, and Chicamauga.

“The hopes of the rebellion are steadily perishing. The armies of the Republic are in the midst of their country, and they have not the power to expel them.

“Fill up the ranks once more, and the next blast of the bugle for an advance will sound the knell of revolution and herald in the return of peace.

“Fellow-citizens, let us do it willingly, gallantly, joyously. The people of Michigan have heretofore earned the gratitude of the country by their promptness and energy in the support of the Government.”

This appeal was received by the people of the State with the same cordial response that had characterized their action on all previous demands of the Government, and they went to work with their usual alacrity and success.

The returns and muster-rolls on file show that from December 23, 1862, down to December 31, 1863, there had been mustered thirteen thousand five hundred and sixty-seven, (13,567) and an aggregate of fifty-three thousand seven hundred and forty-nine (53,749) since the beginning of the war, leaving out of the account all troops disbanded, estimated, and those paying commutation, and confining the statement to the men actually put in service.

Having in our narrative reached the close of 1863, we include the closing pg 176notice of Michigan troops in the field from the report of the Adjutant-General of the State for that year, assigning it to its proper place at this time:

“The war against the rebellion has consumed another year. Loyal States have furnished quota after quota of men to support it. Michigan has speedily and cheerfully responded to every call, and fully complied with every requirement of the Government. Michigan will continue to do so until every rebel in arms against the Republic shall be defeated and sue for peace. Michigan is in earnest in this cause, and seeks no other course but to fight on until a peace is successfully conquered, and until every rebel State is brought into submission to the power of the National Government and is made to acknowledge their allegiance to the Constitution and the laws of the land. Michigan, as evinced by the patriotism of her citizens at home and the bravery of her soldiers in the field, is truly loyal, and nobly gives her influence, her means, and the best blood of her people to put down forever this unjust, unreasonable, and selfish rebellion.

“During the present rebellion there have been many encouraging and promising features developed in the prosecution of the war against it that have indicated its successful and satisfactory termination, but none more forcible, or that will fill a brighter page in its history, or denote more strongly the determination of the people of the Union to bring this rebellion to a desirable and permanent issue and to sustain and perpetuate the national existence, or that exhibits more love for the Republic and free institutions than the patriotic and glorious tribute voluntarily made to their country by the re-enlisted veterans who are now swelling the ranks of the grand armies. They are returning in masses to their native States, receiving the well-deserved blessings and thanks of their country, their families and friends, scattering an influence and a power in behalf of their States and their nation that makes every lover of his native land and his race rejoice in great hopefulness in the future. None can doubt their patriotism. None can question their honesty of purpose. They are a hope and encouragement to the loyal and true, and a blight on those who would wilfully suffer a national disgrace. Michigan, in common with her sister States, is proud of her veteran troops returning to her, as they do, from the hard-fought battles of many fields, scarred, wounded, and weather-beaten—glorious evidences of faithful service, true bravery, and gallant deeds—marks that endear them to their State and entitle them to a page in the history of her heroes. Having again pledged themselves to defend their Government against all its enemies, they are returning to the field, carrying with them the blessings of their friends and the gratitude of their State, again, it may be, to face the leaden storm from rebel ranks, and to add new laurels to those already gathered by them on the sanguinary fields of the South; and while the people praise and bless the living heroes who return to them who have participated in those scenes of national strife, and will cause their names to be handed down to future generations as defenders of the freedom of their nation and their race, they will also have a warm place in their memories for those who return not, but who have passed away amidst those scenes of conflict and bravely given up their lives in the same glorious cause, and long remember them with gratitude and reverence for their devotion and sacrifice, and cause the page of history to record them as amongst the greatest patriots of their day and as martyrs to the freedom of all mankind.

“The troops from Michigan have, in common with those from other States, shared in the hardships and dangers of the campaigns of the past year. They have also shared with them in the glory of their victories, and with them nobly and courageously sustained the prowess of the Union arms in pg 177every engagement. Michigan rejoices at the laurels gathered by the troops from other States, in common with her own, while gloriously and bravely battling with hers, as companions in arms on the same fields, and laments them as companions in death, falling side by side in the cause of their common country; and while she cheerfully extends to the Union troops in general her mete of praise and gratitude for their bravery in battle, and their devotion to the cause of freedom and free institutions, it belongs to her in duty to her own troops, to award to them her especial, grateful acknowledgement of her indebtedness to them for the eminent and honorable position which she has acquired among her sister States in the prosecution of this war, in vindication of national freedom; and while she would not, by detraction from the meritorious and gallant services of other troops, exalt her own, still she is proud to say that no regiment of her gallant sons has, in a single instance, disgraced either itself or tarnished her honorable and bright escutcheon; but they have been found manfully fighting in the front rank on every field, and have been trusted and relied upon for efficiency in cases of emergency and great danger, and have been specially distinguished as possessing, in the highest degree, that characteristic so essential to success in war—true courage.”

The prominent feature in the war operations of 1863 was the important battle of Gettysburg. That battle, which in effect proclaimed with most terrible force to the monster rebellion: “Thus far hast thou dared to come, but must advance no farther at thy peril; back to thy rebel den; henceforth you can only fight on the defensive, for thy aggressive power is broken, and you must crumble to pieces until thou art dead—thy rebel spirit crushed to atoms, never to rise again.”

In the beautiful cemetery, where now quietly rest the dead heroes of that terrible strife, lie the bodies of two hundred and twelve (212) brave Michigan men, being the third largest in numbers from any State. Michigan, therefore, in common with her sister States, claims a general credit for her troops on that occasion, but nothing more; the honor is national, not State.

The operations in the field in Virginia during the year closed with the movement made across the Rapidan by the Army of the Potomac and the assault on the enemy’s position at Mine Run, which, after a feeble effort on the part of the Union forces, resulted in failure, and the recrossing of the army to its former position. This, of course, neither strengthened the army nor encouraged the hearts of the Northern people; neither were the former disposed to quail under defeat, nor the latter to despair at disappointment.

In the West they ended with the splendid Union victory at Mission Ridge, which so closely followed the terrible assault at Chicamauga, and, in a measure, counteracted the effect of that memorable disaster.

The important event occurring with the commencement of 1864 was the return of the “veterans” previously mentioned, who had re-enlisted for another term of service, and were in turn on furlough and reorganizing within the State.

The men of Michigan entitled to re-enlist had availed themselves of the opportunity with great alacrity, and to an extent, in view of the hardships they had already encountered, that was almost surprising.

Five thousand five hundred and forty-five of them accepted the proposition of the Government, entitling the following organizations to which they belonged to the designation of “veteran:” 1st, 2d, and 3d cavalry; 2d, 3d, 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th regiments of infantry; the 6th heavy artillery, formerly 6th infantry, and batteries “B,” “C,” and “E,” 1st light artillery, together with 148 of the engineers pg 178and mechanics. There were also many others in regiments of other States, for which credits were given to Michigan, although not all made available, either to the State or the soldiers themselves.

The Legislature, on February 5, 1864, authorized the payment of $50 State bounty, from November 11, 1863, to February 4, 1864, to the re-enlisted veterans, and directed the payment of $100 to all soldiers enlisting or re-enlisting after that date, which was continued until May 14th following. Townships, wards, and cities were at this time also empowered by the Legislature to raise money by tax for the purpose of paying bounties to volunteers, not exceeding two hundred dollars to each soldier.

At the commencement of this year there was pending the call of the President, of October 17th, for Michigan’s quota of 300,000 men, assigned at 11,298.

On the 1st of February the following order was issued from Washington:

The practical interpretation of this order by the Provost Marshal-General made this merely an extension of the call of October 17, to the amount of 200,000 men, or, in other words, a new call of that number.

On the 14th of March ensuing, the President made an additional order for two hundred thousand men, designating the 15th day of April as the time up to which the quotas could be raised by voluntary enlistments, and as soon after that date as practicable a draft should be made for the deficit on both calls.

An act, approved July 4th, of this year, authorized the President to accept volunteers for one, two, or three years, at the option of the recruit, and limited the term of men drafted to fill deficiencies under the President’s calls, to one year. The commutation system was also abolished, as had previously been the distinction of classes as regards age, which had been made in the first enrollment act.

On the 18th of July the President, under authority of this act, issued a proclamation calling for 500,000 men, and directing that credits be allowed to States in the reduction of their quotas for all the men furnished for the military service in excess of all previous calls, and that volunteers be accepted for one, two, or three years, as they might elect; and further, that immediately after the 5th day of September a draft for troops to serve for one year should be made for deficiencies existing at that date.

The appearance of this call received a prompt response on the part of the Governor, who immediately issued his proclamation calling for early and earnest efforts to meet the Presidential requisition upon the people of this State, and pointing out in explicit terms the readiest and most feasible plans of doing so. The proclamation, which belongs to the history of Michigan, finds a proper place here:

“The President of the United States, in pursuance of a law of Congress, has issued his call for five hundred thousand (500,000) volunteers for the military service, and has directed that immediately after the 5th day of September, 1864, a draft of troops, to serve for one year, shall be held in pg 179every town or sub-district, to fill the quota which shall be assigned to it, which shall remain unfilled on the said 5th day of September, 1864.

“I believe this call to have been eminently proper and necessary for the public service, and being such, to demand the patriotic, earnest, and hearty response of the people. That it will be met in the same spirit that has put Michigan thus far largely in excess of all previous calls, there can be no doubt. The rebellion, as it approaches its final overthrow, grows steadily more desperate, wicked, and hateful. Covered with the blood of patriots, cursed with the dying breath of starved prisoners, and abhorred by all good men for its barbarous butcheries of the unarmed who have ceased to fight, it must perish utterly. The people of this State, remembering their past sacrifices only as an additional motive to greater exertions in the future, will, I know, enter upon this present duty with the activity and energy which does not admit of failure.

“The quota assigned to the State is eighteen thousand two hundred and eighty-two, (18,282,) of which only a little over twelve thousand (12,000) remain to be recruited, or drafted if the recruiting fails. For the purpose of filling the quota, only two resources are available, viz: 1st. Recruiting in the States declared to be in rebellion, under the act of July 4th, except the States of Arkansas, Tennessee, and Louisiana; and 2d. Recruiting among our own people. The first of these, I believe, will be found of no substantial value to us at present, for obvious reasons. The points at which this recruiting is to be carried on are so remote that the period of fifty days will not be sufficient to enable agents to accomplish very much during that time, and they would meet the active competition of the older States, paying much larger bounties than our laws enable us to do. I shall not, therefore, appoint any such agents to be paid by the State, but will, under proper regulations, appoint such agents for the benefit of any counties, towns, or sub-districts which may request it, paying the expenses of the agencies for themselves. They will, of course, also be entitled to the credits. This course is also justified by the fact that the State has no funds appropriated by law for this purpose.

“Substantially, then, our only resource will be that which has always heretofore been found sufficient, the patriotism of our own people.

“Recruits will be allowed to enlist for one, two, or three years, as they may prefer, and as far as practicable each recruit may select the regiment in which he will enlist. This will always be allowed in the regiments in the field, so long as such regiments are below the maximum number. As an inducement to enlist, the Government of the United States will pay a bounty of one hundred dollars to recruits enlisting for one year, two hundred dollars for those enlisting for two years, and three hundred for those enlisting for three years. Such local bounties will be paid as the people of the several towns, wards, and sub-districts may authorize in pursuance of law. No State bounty can be paid, for the reason that the appropriation made for that purpose is exhausted. For the purpose of aiding the recruiting service and giving direction to the public efforts, six new regiments will be authorized, one of them being located in each Congressional district, and I will receive all the new companies that may be offered during the fifty days of recruiting. All the recruits offered for the new regiments and companies, however, must be enlisted for three years or during the war. Those who enlist for a shorter term than three years will go into the regiments now in the field.

“I earnestly recommend to all those who enlist under this call, whether in the new organizations or the old ones, to do so for the war. This State has pg 180thus far raised no troops for a less term than three years. Both for the Government and the soldier the longest term is the best. Let us continue to adhere to this policy, which has given us a most honorable position in the service, and the reputation of the Michigan soldiery, which is now unsurpassed, will continue to grow.

“The work of filling up the quota of the State is for the people. The close of the war visibly approaches, and the sure triumph of the Union cause grows manifest.

“Our troops are now led by tried and victorious generals, leaving nothing to be desired in that direction. Conquering Union armies are in the very midst of the Confederacy, progressing steadily towards the final victory. Let the people of the country stand firmly by the lawful Government, and they can safely meet what is to come.”

Immediately following this proclamation orders were promulgated from the Adjutant-General’s office authorizing the recruitment of six regiments, one in each Congressional district, permission therefor having been received from the War Department.

On the 26th of July, Col. J. W. Hall was authorized to reorganize the 4th infantry, the term of service of which had expired and the regiment mustered out of service. The rendezvous of the regiment was located at Adrian, where the old 4th was organized, and Col. Hall was made commandant of the camp, with the first district for his operations.

On the 29th of the same month, orders were issued to reorganize the 3d infantry, whose term had also expired. Col. M. B. Houghton, who was connected with the old organization, was entrusted with the charge of raising the new regiment, and its camp was placed at Grand Rapids, with the fourth district for the field of its recruiting.

On the same day the sixth district was provided for by the appointment of Hon. John F. Driggs to take charge of the organization of a new regiment therein, to be called the 31st infantry, with its headquarters at Saginaw.

A regiment for the third district, to be called the 29th infantry, was, on the 9th of August, authorized to be raised at Marshall, with Hon. S. S. Lacey for commandant of camp.

In the second district, Hon. W. B. Williams, of Allegan, was, on the 15th of August, entrusted with the organization of the 28th infantry, with the camp at Kalamazoo.

On the 24th of August, Major John Atkenson, of the 22d infantry, was authorized to raise and organize the 30th infantry, its rendezvous to be at Pontiac.

The exigencies of the services did not permit the complete organization of these regiments before the enforcement of the impending draft.

Seven companies, which had been raised for the 30th at Pontiac, were distributed between the 3d and 4th, four companies going to the former and three to the latter, and the organization of the 30th was abandoned.

The 3d, thus reinforced, completed its organization at once, and being mustered in with 879 officers and men, left camp for Nashville, October 20.

The 4th also was, by the same means, enabled to take the field, (where a number of men belonging to the old organization, whose terms were unexpired, yet remained,) and left the State with 726 officers and men on the 22d of the same month, also for Nashville.

The 28th and 29th were consolidated into one regiment, designated as the 28th, which, after completing its organization at Kalamazoo, took its route thence for Nashville, October 26, with 886 officers and men.

The Sixth District regiment completed its organization from its own territory, pg 181and was the first of the new regiments to leave the State, having broken camp at Saginaw and taken its departure for Nashville on the 6th of October, with 854 officers and men. The regiments originally known as the 30th and 29th, having been consolidated with others, as mentioned above, this regiment was numbered the 29th.

Recruiting having been prosecuted with more or less vigor throughout the State, a draft took place on the 10th of June to fill deficiencies under all former calls, including that of October 17, 1863, and those of February 1 and March 14, 1864, which was followed by supplementary drafts in sub-districts which the principal draft failed to fill. And again, on the 20th of September, there was another draft to supply deficiencies under the call of July 18 and those which remained under the calls preceding it.

The results of the efforts made during the first ten months of the year in the several counties of this State to fill the armies of the United States, both by enlistment and by draft, are as follows: The number of volunteers enlisted in the army, 20,041; the number of men drafted, 1,950; the number of veterans re-enlisted, 5,445; the number of men enlisted in the navy, 430; the total credits in numbers, 27,972; the numbers credited on each term of service from the 1st of January to the 31st of October, 1864—one year, 5,002; two years, 39; three years, 22,931.

The men who paid commutation, as provided by laws in force previous to July 4th, are included among the drafted men to the number of 356.

It is shown in this exhibit that the total number of men raised in the State between the 1st of January and 31st of October, 1864, including drafted men commuting, was 27,972; deduct men commuting, 356; total number of men actually raised during the ten months mentioned, 27,616.

The report of the Adjutant-General’s department for 1863 showed that the actual number of men furnished by the State from the beginning of the war to December 31, 1863, was 53,749; the number furnished during the first ten months of 1864, as shown above, is 27,616; making a total to November 1, 1864, of 81,365. The true credit of the State, as represented at the War Department, up to the last date mentioned, is obtained by adding the number of men commuting, viz: 1,982; showing the total credit of the State to be, 83,347.

The striking fact is exhibited by these figures that during ten months only of 1864 the State of Michigan had furnished more than half as many men for the service as were sent from the State during the whole of the first three years of the war, and of this large number of men actually furnished only 1,600 were drafted.

The system of preserving records of credits by sub-districts, required by the laws for enrolling and calling out the national forces, did not become practically operative until the 19th of September, 1863. In the books of the War Department enlistments made previous to that date were entered to the credit of the State at large. All that had been made after that were placed directly to the credit of the sub-district furnishing them.

Approximate number of troops furnished by the State prior to November 1st, 1864: Credits from January 1st to October 31st, 1864, 27,972; enlistments prior to January 1, 1864, 49,793; additional enlistments not included in above from January 1, 1864, 2,026; aggregate October 31, 1864, 79,791. This statement does not include the three month’s infantry, Michigan companies in regiments of other States, and some 2,000 additional soldiers whose residence could not be ascertained.

The above aggregate is somewhat smaller than the aggregate shown in pg 182previous statements to have been furnished, and the difference is caused by the number enlisting in the earlier stages of the war whose residence was not reported or could not be obtained. The entire three months’ regiment enlisting in 1861 is for this cause omitted from the figures of the statement.

The term of service of the 11th infantry having expired during the month of September, 1864, a desire was manifested by some of the officers of that regiment to renew its organization. Orders were issued accordingly, on the 3d of that month, and authority given to Col. Wm. L. Stoughton to command the camp of rendezvous at Sturgis.

On the 3d of November, Major-General Hooker, commanding the Department, being here on a personal inspection, recommended to the Secretary of War, that in view of the exposed condition of the frontier, then threatened by outlaws and their sympathizers in Canada, and the limited number of troops posted for its defence, a regiment of volunteers for twelve months be raised in the State for duty along the Detroit and St. Clair rivers. Despatches investing the Governor with authority for this purpose were the next day received from Washington, and on the 7th orders were issued to organize the 30th Infantry, with its rendezvous at Jackson. In acting upon applications for authority to raise companies and parts of companies for this regiment, preference was given to those who had seen service. On the 22d, Lieut. Col. G. S. Wormer, of the 8th cavalry, was appointed colonel of the 30th, and commandant of camp. Its rendezvous and headquarters were, on the 10th December, removed to Detroit.

The approach of the winter caused no abatement of the activity of the Union armies nor checked the increasing magnitude of their operations. To meet the necessities of the gigantic campaigns then going forward under the direction of the Lieutenant-General, the President on the 19th of December issued a call for 300,000 men to supply a deficiency on the call of the 18th of July, and directing that should the quotas assigned not be filled before the fifteenth day of February following, a draft should be made for the deficiency then existing.

The enrollment of the State was carefully corrected and adjusted by the Boards in the several sub-districts, and the quotas assigned to each.

The enrollment of the counties, with their respective quotas under the call, are exhibited in the following table:

The end of operations in 1864 found the army of the Potomac in the trenches before Petersburg holding Lee as in a trap, Sherman’s army in possession of Savannah, and Thomas successful in Tennessee.

This memorable year was fraught with great results to the nation, effected by the unparalleled fighting of hosts of men, wading deep in human blood through carnage dense.

The day and night advances of Grant’s army on Richmond were to the Northern people movements producing intense anxiety, strong hope, fervent prayers for success, and sorrow and sadness for the patriots passing away.

The desperate advance of Hood on Nashville had been most successfully met by General Thomas, his army completely defeated, routed, and driven in hot haste southward in a most demoralized condition.

General Sherman had gallantly driven the enemy from beyond Chattanooga and onwards, had battered down his strong works at Atlanta, then bidding farewell to his friends, and placing both flanks of his noble army in air, swung off for the sea, leaving the nation in great ignorance and intense uneasiness as to his movements and safety, and is first heard from in the dispatch of General Howard, of his army, saying: “We have had perfect success, and the army in fine spirits;” and then by General Sherman himself, sending to Abraham Lincoln a telegram covering the capture of Savannah as a Christmas present.

The State of Michigan commenced 1865 with that determination to crush out the rebellion which had characterized her soldiers and people so far during the war, as expressed through the Legislature in the following resolution, included among the joint resolutions on the state of the Union, approved March 21, 1865:

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Michigan, That in the name, and in behalf of the people of the State of Michigan, we hereby re-affirm the devotion of this Commonwealth to the Constitution and Government of the United States, and the earnest determination of its people to do everything in their power to support and sustain the National Administration, in all measures for the vigorous prosecution of the existing war, the utter overthrow of armed rebellion, and the punishment of traitors, until a permanent peace shall be secured, based upon the submission pg 184of the rebels, the supremacy of the Government, and the establishment of the Federal Union in all its integrity, one and inseparable, throughout the entire land.

The troops from Michigan, while absent from their homes, honoring their State in the field in these important campaigns, were never forgotten by the Executive, nor by the people. Governor Blair, in his message delivered to the Legislature, January 4, 1865, greets them most affectionately from the Capitol of the State, on vacating the chair which he had so well filled, and highly honored with distinguished ability and efficiency during the years of the war that had passed. Who, in the administration of his executive duties, had been so devoted to the best interests of his State, and so true and loyal to his country, so fair and clear in all his public acts, so untiring in the discharge of his arduous and perplexing duties, so eminently pure in his private life, and so thoughtful at all times of the soldier in the field, that his official career had been deservedly marked with great popularity among the troops, as well as with the entire people. The Governor alluded to them in the following beautiful and kindly language:

“Gentlemen: Again and for the last time, I commend the Michigan troops to your continued care and support. They have never failed in their duty to the country or to the State. Upon every great battle-field of the war their shouts have been heard and their sturdy blows have been delivered for the Union and victory. Their hard-earned fame is the treasure of every household in the State, and the red blood of their veins has been poured out in large measure to redeem the rebellious South from its great sin and curse. At this hour they stand under the flag of their country, far away from home, in every quarter where the enemy is to be met—along the banks of the father of waters, in the great city at its mouths, on the Arkansas, in the captured forts of the Gulf, by the waters of the Cumberland, the Tennessee, and of the Savannah, in the chief city of the Empire State of the South, among the conquering columns in the Valley of the Shenandoah, and in the trenches under the eye of the Lieutenant-General in the great leaguer of Petersburg and Richmond. Alas, that they are also perishing of cold and hunger, and disease, in the filthy rebel prisons and pestilential camps of the South. In every situation their bravery has won the approval of their commanders, and their heroic endurance of hardships has added lustre to their name. It is my sole regret at quitting office that I part with them. My earnest efforts for their good shall follow them while I live, and now from this place I bid them hail, and farewell!”

During that session of the Legislature the following concurrent resolutions were passed:

Whereas the Hon. Austin Blair, whose valedictory message was delivered to this Legislature on the fifth of January, eighteen hundred and sixty-five, has retired to private life;

And whereas the four years of his administration have been the most laborious, as well as the most perilous in the history both of the State and of the nation, with eleven of the most Southern States banded together in the most unjustifiable rebellion that the world has ever known;

And whereas Governor Blair’s administration has been marked by eminent ability, rare integrity, and unsurpassed success, as shown by the enlistments and organization into companies, regiments, and batteries, in the most perfect military order, of over eighty thousand men, as brave, true, and patriotic as ever bared their breasts to any foe; therefore

Resolved, (the Senate concurring,) That the thanks of the people of pg 185Michigan, through this Legislature, are hereby cordially tendered to ex-Governor Blair, for the able and satisfactory manner in which he has, during his administration of the last four years, been able to conduct the affairs of the government of the State.

Following Governor Blair, Henry H. Crapo took the executive chair, bringing to the service of the State and the nation strong and inherent patriotism, great ability, scrupulous honesty of purpose, and a most remarkable and pre-eminent degree of physical and mental energy, with almost continuous application, giving his administration great efficiency and much popularity. The Governor, in his inaugural message delivered to the Legislature, referring to the Michigan troops in the field, for whom he always entertained the most profound respect and the highest appreciation of their valuable services, says, with much eloquence and feeling, while alluding to the great loss of life among them and of the cause in which they were then still engaged:

“This is indeed a fearful sacrifice to be made even in the cause of liberty, justice, and humanity, and fearful is the penalty and terrible is the suffering which the authors and leaders of treason and rebellion deserve and must endure as a just consequence of this enormous crime. These brave men—the Michigan troops—are worthy of all praise. I commend them to your warmest sympathies, to your highest regards, to your active support. They have done heroic deeds on every battle-field; they have won a name for undaunted courage in every conflict with a deadly and persistent foe; they have endured hardships and privations without a murmur, and their loyalty and patriotism have never yet been tarnished. Those who have fallen upon the battle-field or on the march, or have died in hospitals—who now sleep in death, martyrs to the cause of human freedom—our gratitude, our sympathies can never reach. But of those who suffer through loss of them, and of those brave veterans who yet survive, we should ever be mindful. A nation’s gratitude should ever be theirs; and justice, at least, should be their reward. *  *  *  *

“Although the rebellion, involving a civil war of unparalleled magnitude, which was inaugurated at the close of the administration of James Buchanan by conspirators and traitors for the overthrow of our Government, still aims its blows at the dismemberment of the Union, causing the devastation of portions of our fair land, depleting the National Treasury, and destroying many of our best, most loyal, and patriotic men, the efforts for its suppression continue to be prosecuted with undiminished vigor and with unfaltering purpose; and the events of the past year have served but to increase our confidence in the permanency and power of our republican institutions. The nation, it is true, has been sorely tried, yet it has exhibited strength and resources far beyond the most sanguine hopes of its friends; while its enemies, both at home and abroad, have been compelled to confess their disappointment.” *  *  *  *

Nor were they forgotten by the Legislature of the State; for on the 22d of February, 1865, that body passed the following concurrent resolution:

Resolved by the House of Representatives, (the Senate concurring,) That on this anniversary of the birthday of the Father of his Country the thanks of this Legislature, and through us of the people of the State, are hereby tendered to the soldiers of Michigan who promptly responded to the call of their country in its time of peril; and who by their fortitude and soldierly bearing under the privations and hardships of a soldier’s life, “in camp and field, through march and siege,” and by their indomitable bravery and heroism pg 186on scores of battle-fields, have won exalted honor to themselves and crowned with unfading glory the name and fame of Michigan.

With the great increase of Government, State, and local bounties in 1864 commenced the decrease of patriotism among the masses outside of the armies in the field, and which continued to lessen and lessen, and at the commencement of 1865 was not held out as any part of the inducements to enter the service, enlistments had become a matter of bargain and sale, dollars and cents entirely ruling the action.

On January 1st, 1865, the 11th regiment of infantry was in process of recruitment, and the organization of the 30th, designed for duty on the Michigan frontier, was completed on the 9th and mustered into service with the maximum number, and at once assigned to duty along the Detroit and St. Clair rivers, with headquarters at Detroit. Little progress, however, had been made in filling up the 11th until February, when vigorous measures toward that end were adopted, and on the 4th of March four companies left camp at Jackson for Nashville, Tennessee. On the 18th of the same month the remaining six companies had completed their organization, and on that day also took the route to Nashville, in command of Col. P. H. Keegan, the muster-in rolls of the regiment showing a strength of 898 officers and men.

On February 4th, 1865, the Legislature authorized the payment of $150 State bounty, which continued to be paid until the 14th of May following. Townships were empowered at the same time to pay a bounty of $100, which was paid until recruiting ceased in the State.

The successful operations of the United States armies having brought the war to a close by the utter overthrow of the rebel forces early in the spring of 1865, orders were at once issued to abandon all pending measures for the re-enforcement of the national arms, and recruiting, as well as operations under the draft, ceased on the 14th of April. Previous to that date and subsequent to the 1st of November, 1864, there had been raised in this State 9,382 recruits, of whom 7,547 voluntarily enlisted in the army and 53 in the navy, and 1,782 were drafted, as will appear in the records:

The following is a general summary of results, showing aggregate numbers of the credits allowed to each county in the State from the beginning to the close of the war, 1865: Allegan, 2,175; Antrim, 28; Alpena, 58; Barry, 1,625; Benzie, 70; Bay, 511; Branch, 2,776; Berrien, 3,179; Cass, 1,832; Calhoun 3,878; Clinton, 1,606; Chippewa, 21; Delta, 24; Emmet, 39; Eaton, 1,741; Genesee, 2,518; Gratiot, 646; Grand Traverse, 171; Hillsdale, 2,928; Houghton, 460; Huron, 342; Ingham, 2,097; Ionia, 2,464; Isabella, 137; Iosco, 27; Jackson, 3,232; Keweenaw, 119; Kent, 4,214; Kalamazoo, 3,221; Livingston, 1,887; Lenawee, 4,437; Leelanau, 98; Lapeer, 1,776; Monroe, 2,270; Montcalm, 640; Macomb, 2,360; Menominee, 19; Marquette and Schoolcraft, 265; Muskegon, 736; Mecosta, 159; Mason 59; Manitou, 10; Manistee, 88; Mackinac, 47; Midland, 129; Newaygo, 412; Ontonagon, 254; Oakland, 3,718; Oceana, 223; Ottawa, 1,547; Shiawassee, 1,753; Cheboygan, 31; St. Joseph, 2,836; Sanilac, 781; St. Clair, 2,581; Saginaw, 2,039; Tuscola, 664; Van Buren, 1,884; Washtenaw, 4,084; Wayne, 9,213; total, 89,173.

The sum paid into the Treasury Department of the United States by drafted citizens of Michigan as commutation money was $594,600.00.

The product of soldiers and credits yielded by the several counties is in its aggregate, as previously intimated, below the total number known to have been furnished by the State, and the difference is caused by the number enlisting in the earlier regiments whose residence could not be ascertained.

These figures do not include men enlisted in regiments of other States, pg 187and are believed to be substantially correct. There is a discrepancy, however, between them and the tables of the War Department, as will be seen by the subjoined letter from the Provost Marshal-General:

His Excellency H. H. Crapo, Governor of Michigan, Lansing:

Sir: I have the honor to inform you that the number of men furnished by the State of Michigan, from April 17, 1861, to April 30, 1865, is ninety thousand and forty-eight, (90,048,) without reference to periods of service, which varied from three months to three years.

The most popular and effective mode of raising men for the national armies throughout the war proved in Michigan to be the system of recruiting volunteers. This system gave to the Union armies their main support. Drafting or conscripting in Michigan did not produce satisfactory results in any respect, while volunteering was popular and successful.

The drafted man, without reason, looks at his position as stripping him of individuality and patriotism, and as making him a mere machine in the hands of the law. This is wrong and unreasonable in him. The nation recognizes no difference between the faithful services rendered the country by the drafted from that of the volunteer soldier, and there should be none; neither should there be any difference in his condition or standing in the army, and there really is none, except that created in the mind of the conscript himself. The faithful services rendered in defence of his country by the drafted man are equally acceptable and profitable to the nation and as creditable and praiseworthy to himself as those rendered by the volunteer. But it seems impossible to divest the mind of the conscript that in allowing himself to be drafted he has not robbed himself of his patriotism, and that he is considered, both at home and in the service, as an unwilling defender of his nation.

Conscripts, as well as the people, should recognize the truth that every pg 188nation must possess the power under its laws to compel its citizens to fight in its defence and to protect and secure its national existence against all its enemies either at home or abroad; and this power must be carried into effect, when necessary, by draft or conscription, and if properly and fairly exercised under existing laws, should not be considered by them as an odious or unjust measure, but should be sustained and carried fully into effect when the necessities of the country demand it; but such is not the case.

The conscription, as a general thing, is evaded, when possible, by the loyal as well as by the disloyal to a certain extent, as every man coming within its reach seems to object to it. The rich man puts it at defiance under the law with his money, and the poor man evades it, when he can, with his infirmities. Communities, while truly loyal, will make voluntary subscriptions to raise money to supply commutation to secure their citizens against the operations of the draft, even if the exigencies of the service should be ever so urgent, and almost at the same time, with exemplary loyalty and patriotism, will in like manner make similar contributions to procure volunteers to fill deficiencies caused by this action of theirs. The influence, energy, and means of the people, and the arguments and admonition of the press, have been used to raise men to avoid it as if it were a public calamity to be dreaded and avoided if possible, and hence its unpopularity.

With the surrender of the rebel army, under General Lee, on the 9th of April, 1865, and the subsequent surrender of General Johnston’s army, in the same month, the war which had been waged against the Union ended, and soon after the troops belonging to the various States began to leave the field.

The Michigan troops being among the first to receive orders, the 20th regiment arrived in the State June 4, 1865, and others followed in succession, down to June 10, 1866, when the 3d and 4th regiments of infantry reached the State, being the last belonging to the State to leave the field.

On the 14th of June, 1865, Governor Crapo issued the following proclamation of thanks to the returning Michigan troops, which properly belongs to the military history of the State:

Governor Crapo served as Executive of the State until January 1st, 1869, when he was succeeded by Henry F. Baldwin, of Detroit, a gentleman who, although occupying the position of a private citizen throughout the war, rendered valuable service in the cause of the Union, being prominent in the State among its strongest supporters, both in counsel and in pecuniary aid, pg 190ready when occasion offered to stand by his country and uphold her glorious flag.

We subjoin a list showing the total number of officers and men who served in Michigan regiments and companies, respectively:

The following table shows the casualties by wounds and disease in Michigan pg 192organizations during the war:

It has been found impracticable to obtain a statement of the casualties occurring in all the Michigan companies and among the men serving during the war with troops of other States, hence they are not included in the above table.

Tables giving the dates and places of muster of Michigan Regiments, Batteries, and Companies, the dates at which they left the State, together with the dates and places of muster out, and the dates at which they returned to the State.