Governor Hull, A New England Man

General Hull in an article regarding New England Men In Michigan History as noted in Michigan History, Volume 5:

Letter - Probable Detroit Spoils Of War

Source (Page 61)

Less Than 100 Men

1796 Map Of Detroit (Source)

From an undated letter (probably confiscated in August, 1812, during Hull's surrender):

Source - Page 61

The First Expedition

The First Expedition.

So emboldened had the Indians become, and so grave the fear of an invasion by the British and Indians upon our northwestern frontier, that Ninian Edwards, Territorial Governor of Illinois, on March 27, 1813, wrote the Secretary of War: "If the British erect a fort at the mouth of the Wisconsin, and should be able to retain it two years, this, and Missouri Territory will be totally deserted ; in other words, conquered."

Mississippi River Near Moline, Illinois

At the beginning of the year 1814, it was decided to take measures whereby the Indians of the upper Mississippi river could be controlled.

The first operation decided on, was to build a fort at the village of Prairie du Chien. General Howard being absent. Governor Clark of Missouri, fitted out an expedition of one hundred and forty men, mostly of the Seventh Regiment of Rangers, and sent them up the Mississippi in five armed barges or keel boats. [Source]

Fort Stoddert Mentioned

Letter postmarked from Sunbury, Pa., on September 13, 1811, that mentioned Fort Stoddert near Mobile Bay in Alabama (formerly Mississippi Territory):

Fold3 - Source

Plant In Southern Alabama

Illinois Before And After The War

Camp Dubois - Pre-War

" After the War of 1812, in which British interference was finally stopped, emigration poured a tide from the east and south into the territory, and the people, no longer dreading the hostile Indians, treked into the wilderness to find new homes and larger farms." [Source]

Letter To The Illinois Governor

Map Of Native American Tribes

Extract of a letter from Colonel Anthony Butler, commanding Michigan territory and its dependencies and the western district of upper Canada, dated 12th Feb., 1814 to [Illinois] Governor Edwards. [Source]

"They [Native Americans] have committed several murders lately--A letter from the Illinois territory, says, 'Much do I fear that we shall find that the armistice has had the effect of pampering the...[Native Americans] in the winter, for war in the summer.'"

 Anthony Butler's bio from ArchiveGrid:

Colonel Butler was commandant at Detroit in 1815. A resident of Russellville, Kentucky, who in March 1813 was commissioned lieutenant colonel of the 28th U.S. Infantry; in 1814 colonel 2nd Rifle Regiment, serving on Northwestern frontier. In December 1813, in command of Detroit; January 1815, ordered to Detroit to assume military command of all forces in Michigan Territory, and civil and military control of western Ontario. Took over Mackinac from British, summer of 1815; honorably discharged, June 15. Returned to Russellville; cotton planter in Monticello, Mississippi, 1824. While visiting Russellville in 1846, he was killed in a steamboat disaster on the Ohio River.

A Story Told Of Moredock

Reconstruction Of Historic Vincennes, Indiana

A link to more details in the life of Colonel John Moredock, who was the "son of a woman who had been married several times and as often widowed...".  "Living always upon the frontier, she was finally left husbandless with a large family of children, at Vincennes, where she was induced to go further west...".

Source

Campaigns Of The War Of 1812 (Southwest)

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Campaigns Of The War Of 1812 (Great Lakes Region)

Source

Aftermath Of The Fort Mims Massacre

Claiborne, knowing how imminent was the danger to the frontier settlements from the Indians, was determined to protect not only Mobile, but the entire Southern section. To all his appeals for immediate action against the destroyers of the garrison at Fort Mims, with his troops writhing under inaction and nursing with an implacable spirit their grievance against the Indians for the brutal massacre at Fort Mims, with the war already established and a certainty of Great Britain's and Spain's assistance thereto, he had received...[a]...reply from the commander at Mobile: [Source]

Headquartered In Cincinnati

Source [Map of Cincinnati, Ohio]

From...history of the War of 1812 in the Northwest: ...:

"Brigadier General William Hull, then Governor of the Territory of Michigan, arrived from Washington City with his aids-de-camp, Captain Hickman and Captain Abraham F. Hull, his son, on the 22nd of April 1812, and established his headquarters at the Columbian Inn, at the south-west corner of Main and Second streets, Cincinnati, then the principal tavern in the town; and during the last of April and first week of May, made his arrangements for the necessary supplies and transportation of the army."

Battle Of Burnt Corn

Source

"The first definite act of armed warfare between the inhabitants of the Mississippi Territory and the Creek Nation was the battle of Burnt Corn on July 27, 1813.  The Creeks, numbering about 300 picked warriors, had gathered in camp at the Holy Ground according to information given out by General James Wilkinson, who was soon to leave for his new post in Canada."

The Battle of Burnt Corn has its own Facebook site and is on YouTube.

A Force In The Michigan Territory

From Notices of the War of 1812 by John Armstrong:

"AMONG the measures of precaution taken by the Government of the United States, previously to their declaration of war, was that 'of placing within the Michigan Territory, a force that should be competent to the defence of the north-western frontier against Indian hostility; and which in the event of a rupture with Great Britain, would enable the United States to obtain the command of Lake Erie; and with it, the means of more easily co-operating with such other corps, as might be destined to the invasion of the Canadas.'"

Was Faribault A Trader And A Spy?

Source

Excerpt from the Memoir of Jean Baptiste Faribault (also here)

When the war of 1812 was declared, the British Government made great efforts to enlist the Indians of the Northwest against the Americans. Knowing the great influence wielded by the traders among...[them], commissions in the British army were tendered to each of them, and they were accepted by all but Messrs. Faribault and Provencalle, who declined to take any part against the American Government. The subject of this memoir was consequently arrested by a Col. McCall [possibly McKay], of the British militia service, and held as a prisoner on a gunboat, commanded by a Capt. Henderson, on board of which were two hundred men, en route to Prairie du Chien to dislodge the Americans. He was ordered to take his turn at the oar, but absolutely refused, saying he was a gentleman, and not accustomed to that kind of labor.


This article at the Mississippi Brigade wondered if Faribault was a spy:

"But Faribault and U.S. interpreter Joseph La Rocque seemed to have been appearing British but were actually risking their lives to gather information at Prairie to aid Boilvin."
"Faribault appears to have been exposed as an American sympathizer in July of 1813, when his property is burned and possessions plundered by the Winnebago."

Faribault had declined the honor of serving for the British.

Slender Support Lent

Source - Fort Massac

"The slender support lent by the United States to Illinois Territory may be seen by the report of United States troops present on June 6, 1812, as certified by the Adjutant General, in and around Illinois being: Fort Massac, 36; Fort Madison, 44; Vincennes and vicinity, 117; Fort Dearborn, 53."

While the munitions issued were deplorably insufficient to maintain a show of aggression, as will be seen by "the returns of the number of troops in service on the peace establishment and additional military force of 1808." 

"Also stands of arms loaned to the militia, issued conformably to the law of April 23d, 1808; Illinois Territory, 216 stands of arms; 45 pistols; 216 equipments for muskets." [Source]

A Company In Illinois Territory

Captain Willis Hargrave's Company:

Source

The Mississippi Territory

Source

"....the Mississippi Territory in the War of 1812, accompanied by a complete roster of the soldiers of the young Territory which, only fourteen years before, had been released from Spanish rule."

1812 Letter Written At Fort Harrison

From Indiana History:

Zachary Taylor, Fort Harrison, Indiana Territory, to General James Taylor, Newport, Kentucky

General James Taylor and Zachary Taylor were cousins.  Per Wikipedia:
"Gen. James Taylor Jr. was Quartermaster General and paymaster of the Northwestern Army during the War of 1812, thus Newport became a vital center for war supplies."

Papers of General James Taylor are held at the Kentucky Historical Society.

Illinois Military Records Wiki

The Illinois Wiki is a helpful tool for research.  See the Wiki article, Illinois in the War of 1812, for information concerning military records, histories, links, etc., including the fact that "during the War of 1812, the Illinois Territory furnished 1,303 infantry men, 1,005 cavalry men, and 49 men in miscellaneous troops for a total of 2,357."

For more about the Illinois Territory in the War of 1812, here's a post about pre-war conditions.  The Battle of Fort Dearborn (present day Chicago) was a famous incident in Illinois on August 15th.  And of course, check out the Wiki.