Crawfordsville Record, Volume 4, Number 26, Crawfordsville, Montgomery County, 21 November 1835 — Page 2

C II A V F OltDSVILLE UECOR D.

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victories hy which they were won. (voice is heard in every hall of leSuccceding generations frequently gislation, from the cradle of the reenjoy the largest share of the good j volution, where Hancock poured resulting from them. The glorious i the torrent of his eloquence in dcft . ' m 1 . m

consequences are trequcniiy not tending tlie rights oi man, to Louis-

tana and Missouri. It is a divinity

who has a shrine in every American heart. Its trophies arc seen in every battle-field, from the plains of Lexington to the forest-clad heights of Tippecanoe. "We are now standing on that memorable spot made sacred by deeds of high renown. Wo have gathered tosether to pay the tribute of respect and

gratitude to hie memory of the glorious dead who slumber here. We

have come to shed tears on patriots' graves. We have come to twine the laurel with the cypress, on the place where heroes fought and triutnphcd. We have come with united hearts to join in swelling that song of friu niph, w hich shall tscar their :c.v?irs and deeds to the remotest parts of our continent. We

fully developed until the ceasele

flow ol time has obscured the places of their sepulchres. Many a patriot at the bare mention of whose name tyrants have turned pale, and despots' quaked, sleeps in an unknown grave. Out posterity will generally do them justice,and make their withered laurels bloom again

with undecayiug verdure. It was customary with the enlightened nations of antiquity to pay a particular regard to the memory of those who fell in battle. Hence the long procession connected with appropriate ceremonies in remembrance of their valor. Tombs and monuments were erected on which were recorded their names, their heroic acts, their sell devotion , w -hich gave them perpetuity. They will have

an existence in their spirit and prin-j have come that our children, imciplcs as long as those principles ! pressed w ith the scene, mav catch

for w hich they toiled, and fought, ' the flame of patriotism from their and bled , shall be revered by man.! parents, and perpetuate it in the The lapse of centuries may change long line of future generations.

this audience a perception of itsjgislative act, and it imparted a brilreality. We might then bo able to liant lustre to his military fame. It

showed, although trained in the

camp, that he was not unmindful of

the arts of peace, and of the importance of a general distribution of the soil as one of the principal con-

tituents of human happiness.

1 hat his views in this respect were

the conditions of nations. We

know the sun of freedom has frequently set in darkness, and thai the temples of human liberty have been razed to the ground, but the names of those w ho laid the corner stones of the edifice?, and defended the buildings, still peer above all, and, like the towering columns in Palmyra's silent streets, rise in maiestv above the ruins. It was this

regard this spontaneous honor of

the people, that long had a saving

influence among the states of

Greece in preserving their patriotism. Their youth, were trained to this love of glory. They were taught to love Greece, its arts, scienees,and institutions, and to defend them. .Every thing around and connected with them was calculated to exalt national feeling. Love of country

and liberty

We have come to do justice to those

who so nobly defended our muchloved west. Every thing connect-

I ed with the march of civilization across the Alleganies, is not only important to the present generation, but to posterity. The nature of the enterprise,and the thrilling incidents connected with the early settlements on the Ohio and Wabash, will occupy a conspicuous place in our history. The chivalry of the i

j pioneers, tne patriotism ot tnose

who first followed "the star of empire" as it westward took its way, was cf a high and noble kind. The sphere in which they w ere called to act, was one of continual dan

ger, which requires firmness of purpose, and ardent resolution. Cut

ott trom immediate aid in anv e-

mergency, they were compelled to

rely o i themselves. rl he Allega

heat to the body politic, and burn-jnies, rising like antideluvian re

i .t I 1 . . i i . i i i.i rt i

ed in ni err oosoms uko tne ever-uu-; nounis, were oeumu mem. iieiore ring fire in the temple of Vesta. jthem was the broad, but unbroken

What docs history say of Greece? i bosom of the wilderness. Surround-

That it was the land of patriotism led by vigilant aborigines, who

watched every movement with tin fixed gaze of the panther, they wert

I from necessity soldiers, and their

to ! feats of valor on these western wa

ters, would do lnnor to Greece and

Rome in the proudest days of theii

The straits of Thermopylae and the j military glorv. The enemies w ith

plains of Marathonare only remem- j whom they had to contend were sub lu red as the theatres of Grecian j tie, and froqcntlv invisible. Tin

imparted vitality and

form a correct oninion ot thn oreat

i - oand important good resulting from this battle. Suffice it to say, for the time being, it paralyzed the energies ol the Indians, and destroyed their confi

dence in their prophet. Even Tecurnseh, whose mighty genius gave him such universal influence over the western tribes, quailed before it, He saw that it was only the prelude to that gathering storm that would

finally drive the red man from his limning grounds and fromthegraves of his fathers, shiver his bow and break in pieces his battle-axe. The spirits of departed warriors w hispered from the evening clouds that the dominion of the Indian was passing away before the palefaces,

and that they must soon light their

council files beyond the father of

floods. They made no hostile movement, and entered into no concerted system of operations, until the declaration of war and the surrender of gen. Hull. Had not this circumstance taken place, there is every reason to believe that thev would have remained peaceable. It . was only by strong persuasion that

they consented to renew the war on

the frontiers, and by assurances of

assistance from their while allies.

Therefore , had not these peculi

i

ar circumstances transpired, tlie

successful isiueof this battle would

lave terminated the contest.

To pay a solemn regard to the

memory of those who have fallen in

defence ot our firesides, is a task al

ways delightful to patriots, and still

more so, when so many live who

bore a distinguished part in those

scenes that have given their names

there enabled to more feelingly realize lie value and cost of our inheritance. Patriotism is a word a principle of com prehcnsive import. It regards our piinciple?, laws, institutions, and every thing connected with our government and national glory. It looks to every means calculated to promotethe good of our rising country, and to diffusa moral and social happiness throughout our wide-spread population. .It recognizes the rights ot individuals in the rights of the whole

eminently correct, we need only I 111e,M;e ' e tue true patnoi honors thosa J 7 . 1 tv in h-.vn fi on i ri f!m fhdrmf'P i lillinnn IiK

"IIV llkl V 1U.U III HIV. UVIItWV VI t'UIIIUll 1 lT

look at the prospect around u?. In

every quarter we see industry, and the comforts of life throughout our whole community. The primary cause of this is undoubtedly the univcrsal division of lands in such a way as to secure a competency to the productive classes. This act, and its consequences, will be as enduring as his laurels. The territory was divided in 18-

01, and he was appointed governor

of Indiana. His jurisdiction inclu

ded that extensive remon which

now composes our own state and

Illinois, Michigan territory, togeth-

cr witli tne whole ot Louisiana

rom its purchase in 1803 to 1805.

Mo survey the condition of this

vast

and noble sentiments the garden

snot of chivalry "The clime of the unforgotten hrave, Whose every plain, from ocean's shore, mountains cave, Was freedom's home or glory's grave."'

glorv, because there Leonidas and JMihiadcs triumphed over the hosts of Persia. The Romans also were a people distinguished for the respect they paid to their patriots and for the honors rendered those who gained important victories and thereby extended their power and preserved their liberties and institutions.

Witness the pompous triumph of a Fabius the crowns that were placed on the heads of the victors, and all those ceremonies expressive of their approbation. All those combined could not do otherwise than exert a strong and decisive influence on their character and give it a lofty national bearing. I am, however, perfectly aware that these feelings tnav be directed in a w ron 2 channel, and that men

may be heroic without being true patriots. That they may delight

in carnage for the sake of mere vic

tory, without any regard to correct

principles or the advancement of

human happiness or freedom. Inis truth can be proven by pointing to

the fields of Austcrhiz, 1 ncdland and Jena.

lint that these motives have had

a largo share in the promotion of

human hbcrtv is evident from our

own history. We are not compel

led to rely on antiquity alone. Al

though great and illustrious charac

ters are visible in all the "lorious

constellations which shone in an

cient time, there arc none that have I 1 . .1 e

surpassed in msirc tnose ot our

own day and country. Thoprinci

pies of that patriotism here flourish

in a congenial soil . The elements

of our national character are favor

abb to its development, and its

first notice of their approach was oftentimes the crack of the rifle, or

the blaze of their dwellings. Parents, returning from the ser vices of the field , found their chil

dren scalped and their homes a des

olation; and amidst all these and a thousand other difficulties, thev accomplished their design and estab

lished civilized society m the great western valley. Many gallant spir

ts were offered up in the various

conflicts, at different periods, and

under almost all circumstances; but

they finally triumphed. Their names and their honor are dear to

he citizens of the west, and they

will always have our respect and

affectionate regard.

The importance of victories may )o known by their consequences,

and the good thence resulting to society, or the country, at large.

V hat, then, were the consequences

resulting from tho battle of Tippecanoe? What was gained to our

western frontier by the heroism of

that immortal band, who, on this

ground, twenty-four years ago, bar

ed their bosoms to die shalts ol hattic? To ascertain this, we must look at their situation before it took place. And hero I wish I had a power and energy of language to give an adequate description to describe the circumstances and feel

ings of the early settlers in those

hours of danger to picture tne tor

rors of the ambuscade to delineate the agonies of savage torture

to paint, in glowing colors, tne dis

tress of families, who, from their

slumbers, were roused bv the war

whoop, to tell the talc of death in such a manner, and clothe it with such imagery, as to bring before

to posterity, and who arc themselves

the living history of those scones-

whosesun ol glory rose unclouded

from the field of victory.

Among these, the name of gen William II. Harrison stands fore

most as a patriot soldier, and from

thecivil and military relations which

he sustained, he is, in an especia

manner, identified with the history

ot tlie west. It was here, under the gallan

Wayne, that he laid the foundation

of his well-earned fame, and early

displayed those useful qualities o

mind which havecharacterized him

through the whole of his eventfu

life, m every situation in which hi

duty to his country has placed him

The west has been the tneatre o

his valor and of his triumphs. The

laurels that encircle his brow were

reaped in her battle-fields. He came to her in the morning of life, and united himself with her hopes, her prospects, and her des

tiny, and he has lived to see her what she now is enjoying the blessings of civilization. He has uniformly sustained all those principles which have so happily conduced to her rapid improvement; and, during his long official services, he has acc omplished more for the west than any other man.

country,

erty, he engages in all those measures which will perpetuate that liberty. He looks beyond the conflict of battle to the security of those pi inciples obtained by victory. It can not be too often enforced

inong ourselves, that the perpetuity of tftir institutions depends moie on knowledge than the sword more on a conviction of their utility to the whole country more on he affections of our hearts, than bayonets. The history of the the world has long since proved that without a correct education, and a general diffusion of the essential principles of knowledge, no nation can long maintain any considerable degree of rational liberty . The patriots of past ages, had as high anticipations and perhaps as well grounded hopes, that the issue of their exertions would confer a permanent and lasting benefit on their various countries,as the founders of our institutions. Tlie bow of hope was as bright to their vision, as to any of their successors. With them the arts and sciences flourished, and pi: ace and plenty was in all their habit-

He left the army in 1797, with

an untarnished reputation, and in

the confidence of his fellow soldiers

and the government. lie was ap pointed secretary of the Northwes

tern territory and cxolficio lieutenant governor. The next year the territory entered into tho second

grade of government, and he was

elected its first delegate to congress.

Here, after carefully preparingthe

way, ho entered into an investiga

tion of the then existing system of

disposing of our public lands, and

finally succeeded in making an entire change in the system, by great

ly reducing the size cf the tracts.

The public lands were previous

ly offered for sale in 100 acre tracts,

and, of course, were calculated on

ly to benefit the wealthy monopo

list. On the floor of congress, he

pourtrayed its injustice and unreas onableness, and showed its aristo

cratic features, and the influence it

would have in retarding the settle mcnt of the west, and finally sue

cccdcd in obtaining such a reduc

tion as to place them in the reach of

the laboring classes who possessed small capitals. This was his first important lc-

fti iiiu m (i i n i it . j i ii , n

and redress the grievances of the j those mimiri. -s in thn full rnimwm r .i,

..... u ....... v .-jw-jx.jiw UJV inhabitants, who were composed offered boon, pledged by the patriotsofan-

men ot uiiterent views and leelmgs, ' '"" 1,t,u,c memorials oi required notonlyslccp1egilance,! IS'""

Cl Where are the., temples of Grecian and Roman liberty ? Ruin marks the places wherethey stood! Their altars have fallen, and the gods have departed! Ask the angel of desolation the cause of this? He would answer, ignorance, among the great mass of die community, of the real value of their privileges. Indifference to tho purity of government. Violent party spirit, and a disregard to the principles of moral virtue in iho body politic. This also is the testimony of history. It comes to our cars in a thousand voices from that world which has passed away, and left nothing but the records.

of its own dissolution. Warned by these bea

con lights, let us as Americans unite our ex

ertions to escape the danger: c itfn.cn a

i c-j knowledge of the principles of our goernmcnt coextensive with our population ; team every inhabitant of the United State1-, the immense value of his citizenship, and of all those institutions founded by the wisdom of our forefathers, and sanctioned by the experience, of half a century. This would not only give permanency to our liberties, but would at. all times maintain and uphold the supremacy of the laws, and our community would thereby become one of order. But if these principles, aic neglected, or thrown aside, those who fought and bled to defend and perpetuate' ttietn, did it in vain, and we shall at last sink into the same gulf with the republics that have preceded us. Shall this take place? Shall

that standard sheet, which has so long been the rallying signal of the free, whose bright stripes and canopy of stars cheered our fathers in the conflict's darkest hours shall it ever hang torn and drooping over the grave, of our countiy's freedom? The responsive accents of this assembly1 say no. Let us then guard it as we ought, and while we celebrate those victories gained beneath its protecting folds, let us take suclv a course as will render them a rich blessing to posterity. By so doing, we shall secure the gratitude of future generations, and prove to the world the stability of those principles on which our government is founded. To- ' day we exhibit their excellence, in the enjoyment of our privileges. Gathered around the capacious tomb of those who fell in the dc fence of our western frontier, we present t tho spirits of the departed, the best offering that humanity can give the gratitude of freemen.

'kRest warriois, rest:" although no,

sculptured monument rises over your ashes",.

engraven wnn me History ot your exploits.

ana no pyramid's ascending top meets the"

sun in his coming, to tell the passing stranger

wncre you lie, yet your bones are surroun

ded by the homes of your countrymen: the

wigwam is decayed, and the habitations of

civilized society are all around the place ol

your repose; your children, who, in infancy, could barely lisp farewell, as you left vour

nomes, lor mis latai ueki, are collected here, to pour the gushing tide of feeling, at the sepulchre of parental valor, with those who

enjoy tlie inheritance for which you founht and triumphed. While the surviving soldiers of this battle' bring to recollection the bravery of their companions in arms, we may congratulate them, on what they now realize. What a transition? from the morning of November 7lh, 181 1: . peace now reigns all aroun I us; no foe luiks in our path; the footsteps of the Indian art seen no more his war cry no longer revet borates along the prairie despair no more visiis our dwellings for, you, citizen soldiery on Ibis spot, extinguished the fires of his tor--ture, and hushed his death-song. We lender

you the grateful feelings of the whole wesf;: and when you close the pilgrimage of lifc may those who fell by your sides, fighting in, defence of their families, hail you welcome to the abodes of more than mortal freedom. The changes that are continually taking place, show the onward march of out country, and prove the excellence of oar insiitutions. The watch-fires of liberty, kindled1 in the east, by the patriots of 'YO, have illumi

nated the tar west, and the names will continue to rise, and transcend every barrier, spreading its holy light far and w ide, until from tho tops of the Rocky mountains, and the mouth of the Oregon, it flashes, in the full tide of its glory, on tho expansive bosom of the Pacific American patriotism hag accomplished.

but perseverance with discrimina

tmg powers of mind.

The civil and military arrange

ments of the territory rested entire

ly on him, and notwithstanding its

diflicultics and great complexity, he

managed so well, and administered its a flairs so judiciotisly,andsomi:ch

to tlie satisfaction of the pcople,thaf,

at the expiration of each term for

whien he was appointed governor, they unanimously petitioned for his

reappointment. As supcrintendant of Indian affairs no man could be his superior. That he was well qualified, both by nature and habit, to be a successful ncgociator with them,is evinced hy the thirteen treaties which he

made with them w hile governor of

this stale, by which he obtained the relinquishment of their title to sixty millions of acres ofland for less than has since been paid for a tenth of that quantity. President Jefferson was so well pleased with his measures that he testified his approbation in the warm

est manner, while the legislature of Indiana passed resolutions highly complimentary of his services. The year 180G was rendered memorable by the discontents excited among the different tribes of In

dians, through the intrigues of Te

cumseh and his brother the prophet. Their intentions were to mako a

general assault on the frontiers, and, if possible, destroy the inhabitants at a blow. But the uncommon prudence of governor Harrison, and his extraordinary powers of conciliation, kept the discontented tribes from hostilities for five years, until

1811, when the disposition of the Indians was so apparent that it was deemed necessary to organize the militia and put the territory in a state of defence. Beinji reinforced bv 350 U. S. infantry under col. Boyd, and some volunteer militia from Kentucky,

under cols, uwen and jjaviess, ne

marched to the prophet's town un

der the imperative orders of the

president to avoid hostilities of any kind unless absolutely required.

The success of this battle and its

consequences are well known. No

w here in our border wars has there been a greater display of true courage. By the bravery of his com

panions in arms he triumphed over

the perfidious Indians on tin ground.

Since that day his civil and military life is well known. It is all

written on the broad pages of his

country's history. Ilis services stand out in bold relief. They are real, visible, and tangible, felt and acknowledged by all j and his name,

with the names of those associated with him in those hours of peril antl danger, will ever be cherished with the fondest recollections .

There are no places belter calculated to enforce those lessons of vvisdonl which should govern us as a great and growing nation, than by the sepulchres cf our patriots. We ere