The history of Will County, Illinois, containing a history of the county (1878) (14587590297)

Identifier: historyofwillcou00leba (find matches)
Title: The history of Will County, Illinois, containing a history of the county ..
Year: 1878 (1870s)
Authors: Le Baron, Wm., jr., & co., Chicago pub. (from old catalog) Woodruff, George H., b. 1814. (from old catalog) Perrin, William Henry. (from old catalog) Hill, H. H. (from old catalog)
Subjects:
Publisher: Chicago, W. Le Baron, jr., & co.
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation



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as given, was attending Mrs. Barnes (just confined)living not far off. Mr. Kinzie and his family crossed the river and tookrefuge in the fort, to which place Mrs. Barnes and her infant not a dayold were safely conveyed. The rest of the inhabitants took shelter in thefort. This alarm was caused by a scalping party of Winnebagos, whohovered about the fort several days, when they disappeared, and. for severalweeks the inhabitants were undisturbed. On the 7th of August, 1812, General Hull, at Detroit, sent orders toCaptain Heald to evacuate Fort Dearborn, and to distribute all the UnitedStates property to the Indians in the neighborhood—a most insane order.The Pottawattamie chief, who brought the dispatch, had more wisdomthan the commanding general. He advised Captain Heald not to makethe distribution. Said he : Leave the fort and stores as they are, andlet the Indians make distribution for themselves; and while they areengaged in the business, the white people may escape to Fort Wayne.
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o HISTORY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. 143 Captain Heald held a council with the Indians on the afternoon otthe 12th, in which his officers refused to join, for they had been informedthat treachery was designed—that the Indians intended to murder thewhite people in the council, and then destroy those in the fort. CaptainHeald, however, took the precaution to open a port-hole displayino- acannon pointing directly upon the council, and by that means savedhis life. Mr. Kinzie, who knew the Indians well, begged Captain Heald notto confide in their promises, nor distribute the arms and munitions araonothem, for it would only put power into their hands to destroy the whites.Acting upon this advice, Heald resolved to withhold the munitions ofwar: and on the night of the 13th, after the distribution of the otherproperty had been made, the powder, ball and liquors were thrown intothe river, the muskets broken up and destroyed. Black Partridge, a friendly chief, came to Captain Heald, and said: