Imagens das páginas
PDF
ePub

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress Assembled, That Missouri shall be admitted into this Union on an equal footing with the original States, in all respects whatever, upon the fundamental condition that the fourth clause of the twenty-sixth section of the third article of the constitution, submitted on the part of said State to Congress, shall never be construed to authorize the passage of any law, and that no law shall be passed in conformity thereto, by which any citizen of either of the States in this Union shall be excluded from the enjoyment of any of the privileges and immunities to which such citizen is entitled under the constitution of the United States. Provided, That the Legislature of said State, by a solemn public act, shall declare the assent of the said State to the said fundamental condition, and shall transmit to the President of the United States, on or before the fourth Monday in November next, an authentic copy of the said act; upon the receipt whereof the President, by proclamation, shall announce the fact; whereupon, and without any further proceeding on the part of Congress, the admission of the said State into the Union shall be considered as complete.

The resolution was soon adopted by both Houses, and on the 26th of the following June the Legislature of Missouri adopted an act declaring the assent of the State to the conditions of admission, and transmitted to the President a copy of the same. August 10, 1821, after a struggle of two years and a half, the admission of Missouri into the Union was announced by the proclamation of President Monroe, and the State from that day took rank as the twenty-fourth of the American Republic.

THE FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

In anticipation of the admission of the State into the Union a general election had been held on August 28, 1820. Alexander McNair was chosen Governor; William H. Ashley, lieutenantgovernor, and John Scott, representative to Congress. Senators and representatives to the General Assembly (fourteen of the former and forty-three of the latter) were also elected. This body convened at St. Louis in September, and elected David Barton and Thomas H. Benton United States senators, although, as the State was not formally admitted into the Union until the following August, they were not allowed to take their places until December, 1821. Mr. Benton held the position of United States senator for thirty consecutive years.

At this session of the Legislature were organized the counties of Boone, Callaway, Chariton, Cole, Gasconade, Lillard (afterward La Fayette), Perry, Ralls, Ray and Saline. The seat of government was fixed at St. Charles, but was moved, in 1826, to

According to the first census taken in Septempopulation of the State was 70,647, of whom

Jefferson City.
ber, 1821, the
11,254 were slaves.

EARLY WARS.

BLACK HAWK WAR.

In 1804 a treaty was concluded between the United States and the chiefs of the Sac and Fox nations. One old warrior of the Sacs, however, called Black Hawk, who had fought with great bravery in the service of Great Britain during the War of 1812, had always taken exception to this treaty, pronouncing it void. In 1831 he established himself with a chosen band of braves upon the disputed territory in Illinois, ordering the whites to leave the country at once. Fifteen hundred volunteers from that State, aided by Gen. Gaines, with a company of regulars, surprised the Indians, and forced them into another treaty, by which they ceded all their lands east of the Mississippi, and agreed to remain upon the other side of the river. Soon, however, a band of these same Indians attacked a party of friendly Menominies encamped at Prairie du Chien, murdering twenty-five and wounding many others. Brig. Gen. Atkinson, with a large detachment of regular troops from Jefferson Barracks, was sent to chastise the murderers who had thus flagrantly violated their treaty. Upon this Black Hawk, with his adherents, recrossed the Mississippi and established himself at Rock River. Keokuk was the rightful chief of the Sacs and Foxes, and with the majority of his tribes remained true to their agreement with the United States, but Black Hawk's followers were bent upon revenge and plunder. May 14, 1832, a bloody engagement occurred near Dixon's Ferry. On account of the proximity of these hostilities to the Missouri border, and fearing an Indian invasion, Gov. Miller ordered Maj.-Gen. Richard Gentry, of Columbia, this State, to raise 1,000 volunteers, prepared to start for the frontier at a moment's warning.

Accordingly on May 29, 1832, orders were issued by Gen. Gentry to Brig.-Gens. Benjamin Means, commanding the Seventh; Jonathan Riggs, the Eighth, and Jesse T. Wood, the Ninth Brigade, Third Division, to raise, the first named 400 and each of the last 300 men. Each man was "to keep in readiness a horse

with the necessary equipment, and a rifle in good order, with an ample supply of ammunition." Five companies were at once raised in Boone County, and others in Callaway, Montgomery, St. Charles, Lincoln, Pike, Marion, Ralls, Clay and Monroe. Two of them, Capt. John Jamison's, of Callaway, and Capt. David M. Hickman's, of Boone, in July, 1832, were mustered into service for thirty days, and placed under command of Maj. Thomas Conyers. This detachment, accompanied by Gen. Gentry in person, arrived at Palmyra, July 10, and at Fort Pike, which was situated on the Des Moines, at the present site of St. Francisville, in Clark County, five days afterward. Finding that no hostile Indians had entered Missouri, Gen. Gentry ordered work to be discontinued on Fort Matson, in the northern part of Adair County, sixty-five miles from Fort Pike, and within eight miles of the Chariton, and left for Columbia, where he arrived on July 19. Maj. Conyers' command was left at Fort Pike. On August 5, this detachment was relieved by two other companies, under Capts. Sinclair Kirtley, of Boone, and Patrick Ewing, of Callaway. Maj. Conyers remained in command of the fort. In September, the Indian troubles having apparently subsided, the troops on the northern frontier of Missouri were mustered out of service.

For nearly a year afterward, the war was continued at various points in Illinois and Iowa, until, at the decisive battle of the Bad Axe, Black Hawk was entirely defeated, and a great number of his followers killed. He himself escaped, but was soon captured and delivered to the United States officers. He was carried in triumph through a great part of the States, after which, shorn of his power, if not his ambition, he was permitted to return to his tribe. Black Hawk died at the village of his people, on the Des Moines River, in Davis County, Iowa, in 1838, aged about seventy years.

THE SEMINOLE WAR..

Florida originally belonged to Spain. Among its aboriginal inhabitants was a humane and romantic tribe of Indians, called the Seminoles. Their manners were gentle, and their language soft; but the wrongs they suffered are as deep and wicked as any ever inflicted by a civilized nation upon a weak and defenseless people. Escaping slaves found refuge in the Spanish Territory,

formed settlements along the Appalachicola and Suwannee Rivers, and became members of the Seminole and Creek nations, holding lands and enjoying the fruits of their labors. Spain refused to deliver up the fugitives who had thus intermarried with the Indians, and whose descendants soon became an almost indistinguishable part of the tribe. The slave holders of Georgia were furious, and the Government of that State, on several occasions, sent troops into the Creek country and laid waste villages, burned huts, and killed innocent members of the tribe. Spain resented these piratical raids, and the President of the United States was compelled to disavow any responsibility for such outrages, which nevertheless continued.

On July 27, 1816, an old fort situated on the Appalachicola, which had been built by the British during the War of 1812, and subsequently occupied by the blacks and their descendants, was blown up by forces under command of Gen. Gaines. There were in the fort 334 persons, mostly women and children, and 270 of these unfortunate creatures were instantly torn in pieces.

The Seminoles, goaded from their placid ways, attempted to retaliate; but their efforts, though gallant, were feeble. The raids upon the Seminole country and its citizens continued, and the state of affairs became a matter of serious perplexity to the general Government.

In 1835, during President Jackson's administration, renewed hostilities arose from an attempt to remove the Seminoles and Creeks to lands west of the Mississippi. The chief of the former tribe was Osceola, a half breed of great talents and audacity, who, driven to desperation by personal wrongs, as well as those inflicted upon his people, formed a conspiracy to slaughter the whites and devastate the country. The Creeks were soon conquered and set beyond the Mississippi. In 1837 Osceola was captured and soon after died, but the war continued.

In the fall of 1837 the Secretary of War issued a requisition on Gov. Boggs, of Missouri, for two regiments of mounted volunteers for the Seminole War.

The first regiment was raised chiefly in Boone and neighboring counties by Col. Gentry, and was composed of eight companies. Four companies of the second regiment were also raised

70

HISTORY OF MISSOURI.

and attached to the first. Of these latter, two companies were composed of Delaware and Osage Indians.

Col. Gentry's regiment left Missouri in October, 1837. The men were taken by boat from St. Louis to New Orleans, and transported thence to Tampa Bay, Florida. On the voyage they

encountered a severe storm, and several of the vessels were stranded. Many horses were lost but no men, and on the 15th of November the troops disembarked at their destination. On the 1st of December they received orders from Gen. Zachary Taylor, then commanding in Florida, to march to Okeechobee Lake, in the vicinity of which the whole force of the Seminoles was said to have collected. Having reached the Kissemme River, seventy miles distant, the cavalry scouts captured several Indians, from whom Col. Gentry learned that their main forces were near at hand, and immediately crossing the river he formed the Missouri volunteers in front, and, supporting them at a proper distance by the regular army on either flank, advanced to meet the attack. The Indians had chosen a fine position, and continued the battle with a pertinacity seldom exhibited in their method of warfare. Gentry fought on foot, as did all his command, and had repulsed the enemy after several hours of severe fighting. He was gradually pushing them across a swamp, and had nearly reached the dry soil, when a bullet pierced his abdomen, inflicting a fatal wound. He knew its serious nature, yet stood erect an hour afterward, and cheered his men to victory, until, at last, being compelled to desist, he was borne from the field, and expired the same night. The Missourians continued to fight several hours after the fall of their leader, until the Indians were entirely vanquished. The loss of the whites in killed and wounded was 138, most of whom were Missourians.

Col.

The forces from this State being no longer needed, they returned to their homes early in 1838. The remains of Col. Gentry, as well as those of Capt. Vanswearingen and Lieuts. Brooke and Center, of the Sixth Regular United States Infantry, were afterward brought to Jefferson Barracks and buried, the Government of the United States erecting over them a suitable monument. The county of Gentry was named in memory of the gallant commander.

« AnteriorContinuar »