A Peaceful Passage Of The Army

Source

The Kentucky Volunteers returned home [after the Battle of Tippecanoe].  The 4th U. S. regiment was stationed at Fort Harrison and Vincennes until the month of May, 1812, when it marched for Ohio, and joined the north-western army, then fully organized, and having moved forward from the plains of Mad River, was encamped at Urbana, Champaign county, and the commanding officer was holding a council with the chiefs of the Wyandott, Ottoway, Miami, and other Indian tribes living within the boundaries of the State of Ohio, for a peaceful passage of the army through the Indian territory, commencing a few miles north of Urbana, and extending with few exceptions to Detroit. [Source]

Native Americans Driven Off

Source

In the middle of November, a large force of Kentuckians under General Hopkins proceeded into the Indian country and destroyed the Prophet's town and a Winnebago village. The inclemency of the weather and the constant retreat of the [Native Americans] rendered pursuit useless and inconvenient and the detachment accordingly returned to Vincennes. Another detachment, consisting of three hundred regulars under Colonel Russel(l), surprised and destroyed an Indian town on the Illinois river, and after driving the inhabitants into a swamp, captured twenty of them.

Near Peoria

Below is a letter about Russel's Indian Expedition.

Camp Russel, October 31st, 1812.

Sir,
This will inform you, that I arrived at this place, from Vincennes, after general Hopkins had marched his mounted riflemen up to fort Harrison. I took with me, a part of three companies of United States' rangers, where I was joined by governor Edwards, with his mounted riflemen; the whole of our strength amounted to 360 privates. We penetrated very far into the Indian country, with an expectation of co-operating with general Hopkins, who, by appointment, was to meet us at the Peoria, on the Illinois river. In this, we were sadly disappointed, as we could get no intelligence of his army. This prevented us from tiding as much damage to the Indians, as otherwise we could have done. As our numbers were too weak to make any delay in that quarter; as this was farther than any troops had hitherto penetrated, we stole a march upon the celebrated Pimartam's town, situated about 21 miles above Peoria, and immediately at the head of Peoria lake. This was a well built town, and contained a number of Indians; between the town and river, was a
dismal swamp, in which they immediately flew for shelter, returning a few scattering shots. Our men nobly pursued them through the swamp; and also others, as they were crossing the Illinois river. 

Riverbank Near Peoria

The men also pursued them to the opposite bank, and brought back some of their canoes, and several dead bodies — the governor states, to be upwards of 20 killed, of the enemy. This was a flourishing town, with an immense deal of Indian plunder in it, together with a great deal of corn; all of which was committed to the flames. I believe not less than 80 horses fell into our hands belonging to the enemy. Several white persons' scalps were also found among their plunder. I had the immediate command of the battalion, and the superior command was retained by his excellency the governor. On this expedition we were fortunate; we had but 4 men wounded, none of which is mortal. This tour was performed from camp, and back to the same place, in 13 days.

I have the honour to be yours, &c.

W. RUSSEL,
Colonel 7th Dist. Comdg.

[To] The Secretary of War.

Mr. And Mrs. Bacon

Source

Historic Vincennes

A synopsis of Mrs. Lydia Bacon's story was found at the Central Michigan Library's Clarke Library's website (see excerpt below with added link):

Lydia Bacon (1786-1853) accompanied her husband, Josiah, a quartermaster, to his military assignment. She waited at Vincennes...for him to return from the Tippecanoe campaign along the Wabash, then left on horseback to go with her husband's regiment to Detroit. 

From The Detroit News:  

"Mrs. Bacon carried in a bag on the pommel of her saddle a Bible, a copy of Homer's "Iliad," and a "huge Spunge cake." She wrote letters to her 15-year-old sister Abby, her mother and friends in Boston, which later she collected as a memoir of her experiences during the War of 1812."

Harrison's Line Of March

From Fort Harrison on the banks.. General Harrison's Line Of March From Vincennes To Prophet's Town In 1811.

Commandant At Fort Harrison

Major John T. Chunn was a Commandant at Fort Harrison.  His biography can be found here, at Fort Harrison on the banks of the Wabash, 1812-1912, online courtesy of Indiana University:

MAJOR JOHN T. CHUNN [was] issued an order May 10, 1816, transferring Major Chunn from Fort Knox, and placing him in command at Fort Harrison. This order instructed Major Chunn to remove government property from Fort Knox to Fort Harrison. This apparently was the end of Fort Knox as a government post.

From Sign At Fort Knox II, Near Vincennes, Indiana

Major Chunn had helped to build the Fort at the time of the Harrison campaign to Tippecanoe. He was then a Lieutenant in one of the companies of that army. He was appointed Captain of the Nineteenth Regiment of the U. S. Infantry, April 14, 1812. He was transferred to the Third Regiment on May 17, 1815. He resigned from the army June 12, 1821, after a long and honorable service. He returned to Terre Haute to spend the rest of his life, and leave a long list of descendants to honor his name.

Spirit Of Vincennes

Jim's Photo Of Historic Vincennes, Indiana

From the Spirit Of Vincennes website:

"The region around and now occupied by the city of Vincennes played a pivotal role in the development of the western frontier of the United States."

The site also contains several articles, including "Vincennes gets a fort" and "Harrison answers critics."

Captain Spier Spencer

From a Pre-War letter from Vincennes, dated 22 Sept. 1811:

"Captain Spencer's Company of Volunteers will act as a detached Corps and he will receive his orders from the Commander in Chief.  They are received as a Company of Volunteers."

Source

 Capt. Spier Spencer was killed in action Nov. 7th, 1811.  He commanded a company of mounted riflemen of Indiana militia in the battle.  They were called "Spencer's Yellow Jackets" because of their uniforms.

He had a brother who was killed in the same battle.

Capt. Spencer's small son went on the expedition with him and was Harrison's special care after his father's death.

Battle Of Tippecanoe From Sign At Fort Knox (II) (in the Vincennes, Indiana, area)

When she (Spencer's wife) was a child, she and her mother Delilah Tyler, and other children of the family, were stolen by the Indians and taken from Kentucky to Detroit, where they were ransomed by Major DePeyster, upon learning that Charles Polk (father of Elizabeth Polk, who was Spencer's wife) was a Mason.  The family was reunited.

Information about Captain Spier Spencer from Wikipedia:

In 1818, Spencer County, Indiana, was named for him, as was in 1820 the town of Spencer, Indiana in Owen County. Spencer County, Kentucky was created and named for him in 1824.  Spencer's widow continued operating The Green Leaf Tavern. When she married William Boone, she changed the name to the "Billy Boone Tavern". However, the marriage was short lived and she divorced Boone in 1829.

Captain Thornton Posey

From the Upper Mississippi Brigade website, The 7th U. States Infantry in the Midwest A Sketch of the Detachments of Captains Thornton Posey and Zachary Taylor, by David M. Grabitske:

"Thornton Posey was an immigrant from Virginia who was one of the first company commanders to be appointed on May 3. Recruitment proceeded very well during that first summer for Posey's nascent command. In early 1809 Posey received orders to move his men from the recruiting rendezvous to New Orleans and James Wilkinson's disease-ridden camp. On June 3, his men were formally transferred to George Rogers Clark Floyd's company. In the fall of that year the Sixth Infantry was broken up and also added to the Seventh."  [Links added to original article]

Source

Major Thornton Posey was a member of the Posey Family of Va. He enlisted in the regular army from Ky., in May 1808 and served till the end of the war of 1812. He arrived at Vincennes, July 5, 1810. [Alexander Posey was Thornton Posey's brother.]

Jim's Photo From Fort Knox II Near Vincennes, Indiana

Captain Thornton Posey killed Lieutenant Jesse Jennings during an altercation:

Source

The Niles' Weekly Register, Volume 1, told of the Thornton Posey/Jesse Jennings incident.

In a letter to Secretary of War Eustis, General Harrison related the following detail:

I am told also that Mr. Jennings told two different persons some time before that he would kill the Captain if he could. 

Prelude To Tippecanoe

Order of March:

Source

27th September [1811]— The army was embodied, consisting of between ten and twelve hundred men ; and under the immediate command of Gov. Harrison, we took up our line of march from Vincennes....

The Battle of Tippecanoe was fought in November, 1811.

Private Duff Green's Experience Near Vincennes

Our regiment under the command Colonel Wilcox marched to Vincennes*... . ....[news] reached us that the Indians under Tecumseh had attacked Fort Harrison having defeated the Rangers.  [From Duff Green's auto-biographical information].

*An artist's rendering of Fort Knox located near Vincennes, Indiana:

Ft. Knox 1803 - 1813

In 1803 the federal government gave approval for the construction of a new fort near Vincennes.  Ft. Knox, named for Secretary of War Henry Knox, was eventually built on a bluff overlooking the Wabash river, three miles north of the village.  The outpost remained somewhat inactive until the increased tensions of 1811 brought about a heightened interest in improving the fortification.  Archaeological findings in the 1960's indicated that the fort's design may have resembled this artist's rendering.

Leonard White Or Isaac White For Whom White Co., IL, Is Named?

From Cemeteries of Gallatin Co., Illinois, Book 1:


Upon acquiring statehood in 1818 Illinois received title to the salt pro­ducing lands and continued the five leases signed in 1817. One lease was to Meredith Fisher and Willis Hargrave, another to Jonathan Taylor, another operator was James Ratcliff, another was Timothy Guard whose works were still oper­ating in 1832, and the last was Geo. Robinson who in 1816 purchased for $7,000 all the equipment and lease of Leonard White. (Deed book A of Gallatin County) Robinson had been county sheriff and White had resigned as militia captain in 1812 to accept an appointment as county judge.


Was it this Leonard White for whom White County, Illinois, was named? From the Illinois Second Judicial Circuit Court website:

[White County FYI] Named for [Captain] Leonard White, pioneer of Gallatin County, Major of the Territorial militia, member of the Constitutional Convention of 1818, State Senator in the second and third General Assemblies.[Veteran of the War of 1812]

Other sources stated that White County was named for Isaac White.  It was Isaac White who initiated the Masonic Lodge at Vincennes and it was he who died at the Battle of Tippecanoe on November 7, 1811.