Part 15

Governor Henry was heart and soul for Clark's plan. He made Clark a colonel, gave him six thousand dollars in paper money, and ordered him to raise an army to defend Kentucky.

[Sidenote: =A colonel with a secret=]

=112. The Campaign against Old Vincennes.= In May, 1778, Clark's little army of about one hundred fifty backwoodsmen, with several families, took their flatboats and floated down the Monongahela to Fort Pitt. Clark did not dare tell the riflemen where they were going, for fear the British might get the word. Here they took on supplies and a few small cannon.

[Sidenote: =Floating down the beautiful Ohio=]

On they floated, in the middle of the river to keep away from the Indians who might be hiding in the deep, dark forests on the river banks. At the falls of the Ohio, on Corn Island, Clark landed his party. He built a blockhouse and cabins, and drilled the riflemen into soldiers while the settlers planted corn. This was the beginning of the city of Louisville.

[Sidenote: =Clark tells his secret=]

One day Clark called his men together and told them the secret--he was really leading them against the British forts on the Illinois and the Wabash rivers.

A few of the men refused to go so far from home--a thousand miles--but the rest were willing to follow their leader.

[Sidenote: =A long march begun=]

In June, Clark's boats "shot the falls" and were soon at the mouth of the Tennessee, where a band of hunters joined the party. There Clark hid the boats and began the long march through tangled forests and over grand prairies. But they did not know what minute the Indians might attack, or some British scout discover them and carry the news to General Hamilton at Detroit.

[Sidenote: =Kaskaskia, July 4, 1778=]

They reached the old French town of Kaskaskia at dusk on July 4. They did not dare give a shout or fire a gun, for the British officer had more men than Clark.

[Sidenote: =Surrounds the town=]

Clark sent part of his men silently to surround the town, while he led the others to the fort, where they heard the merry music of the violin and the voices of the dancers.

[Sidenote: =Virginia, not Great Britain=]

[Sidenote: =The French settlers alarmed=]

Clark himself slipped into the great hall, folded his arms, and looked in silence on the dimly lighted scene. An Indian lying on the floor saw Clark's face by the light of the torches. He sprang to his feet, and gave the terrible war whoop. Instantly the dancing ceased, the women screamed, and the men rushed toward Clark. But Clark simply said: "Go on with your dance, but remember that you dance under Virginia and not under Great Britain!" The British general surrendered, and the French inhabitants trembled, when they learned that the backwoodsmen had captured the town. They sent their priest, Father Gibault, and other chief men to beg for their lives. Imagine their surprise and joy when Clark told them that not only were their lives safe, but that the new republic made war on no church, and protected all from insult.

[Sidenote: =The treaty with France=]

He also told them that the King of France had made a treaty with the United States and was sending his great war ships and soldiers to help America. The town of Cahokia also surrendered.

[Sidenote: =Vincennes surrenders=]

Father Gibault went to Vincennes to tell the French settlers about the doings of Clark and to give them the news that France had taken sides with the Americans. The people rejoiced, and ran up the American flag. Clark sent Captain Helm to command the fort.

General Hamilton at Detroit was busy planning to attack Fort Pitt and to encourage the Ohio Indians to kill and scalp Kentuckians.

[Sidenote: =General Hamilton stirred up=]

[Sidenote: =Stays in Vincennes until spring=]

How astonished he was when he heard that the forts on the Illinois and the Wabash had fallen! He gathered a mixed army of British, Canadians, and Indians, crossed Lake Erie to the mouth of the Maumee, and "poled" and paddled up that river to the portage. Down the Wabash they floated, five hundred strong. Vincennes surrendered without a blow. Hamilton decided to stay there for the winter and march against Clark in the spring. This was a blunder. He did not yet know Clark and his backwoodsmen.

"I must take Hamilton or Hamilton will take me," said Clark, when he heard the news. He immediately set to work to build a rude sort of gunboat, which he fitted out with his cannon and about forty men. He sent the _Willing_, as it was called, down the Mississippi, around into the Ohio, and up the Wabash to meet him at Vincennes.

[Sidenote: =Clark begins the march=]

All was excitement in the French towns. Forty or fifty French joined Clark's riflemen. Father Gibault gave them his blessing, and the march overland to Vincennes began.

[Sidenote: =On the march=]

Clark divided his men into parties. Each, in its turn, did the hunting, and at night invited the others to sit around great camp fires to feast on "bear ham, buffalo hump, elk saddle, and venison haunch." They ate, sang, danced, and told stories. No doubt they often talked of their loved ones far away in the cabins of Virginia and Kentucky.

[Sidenote: =The drowned lands=]

On they pushed till they came to the "drowned lands of the Wabash," and there they saw miles and miles of muddy water. They made a rude boat to carry them over the deepest parts. The horses had to swim.

[Sidenote: =The morning gun=]

Soon they were near enough Vincennes to hear the "morning gun" at the fort, but they did not dare fire a gun themselves for fear of being discovered by parties of hunters. Food grew scarce, game was hard to find, and starvation threatened them.

[Sidenote: =Terrible suffering=]

Sometimes, after wading all day, they could hardly find a dry spot to camp for the night. Some grew too weak to wade and were carried in boats. The stronger sang songs to keep up the courage of the weak. When they finally reached the opposite shore of the Wabash many fell, worn out--some lying partly in the water.

Those who were well built great fires and warmed and fed the faint ones on hot deer broth. But these brave men soon forgot their hardships and again were full of fight.

[Sidenote: =Clark's letter=]

Clark now decided to take a bold course. He sent a letter to the people of Vincennes telling them that he was about to attack the town. He advised all friends of America to remain quietly in their homes, and asked all friends of the British to go to the fort and join the "hair buyer," as the backwoodsmen called Hamilton.

[Sidenote: =The attack=]

At dark, Clark's men charged into the town and attacked the fort. The fight went on all night. As soon as it was daylight the backwoodsmen fired through the portholes and drove the gunners from the cannon.

[Sidenote: =Hamilton surrenders=]

Clark's men begged to storm the fort. Only one American had been wounded, but several British soldiers had been killed and others wounded. In the afternoon Hamilton surrendered and once more the Stars and Stripes floated over "old Vincennes."

The _Willing_ appeared in a few days. Her men were deeply disappointed because they were too late to take part in the fight.

Clark put men in the forts at Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and Vincennes, and made peace with the Indians round about. But he was never able to march against Detroit, as once he had planned to do.

[Sidenote: =Clark's Grant=]

Virginia rewarded the brave men who had followed Clark by giving to each three hundred acres of land in southern Indiana. The land was surveyed and is known to-day as "Clark's Grant."

Clark and his men had performed one of the greatest deeds of the Revolutionary War. They made it possible for the United States to have the Mississippi River for her western boundary when England acknowledged our independence.

[Sidenote: =Clark unrewarded=]

George Rogers Clark was never properly rewarded. He spent his last days in poverty at the falls of the Ohio, on Corn Island, and died in 1818. In 1895 a monument was erected in honor of his memory in the city of Indianapolis, Indiana.

SUGGESTIONS INTENDED TO HELP THE PUPIL

=The Leading Facts.= _1._ Boone loved the woods, crossed the mountains into east Tennessee, and later went to Kentucky. _2._ He wintered alone in Kentucky; his brother returned home for supplies. _3._ Boone built the "Wilderness Road," and also built Fort Boonesboro. _4._ Boone took part in the War of the Revolution, was captured by the Indians, carried to Detroit, but escaped. _5._ Years after his death his remains were taken to Frankfort, Kentucky.

_6._ John Sevier studied at Fredericksburg; fought Indians in the Shenandoah. _7._ He went over to the settlement on the Watauga; helped defend it against the Indians. _8._ Sevier helped win the great victory at Kings Mountain. _9._ He was many times governor of Tennessee.

_10._ George Rogers Clark loved the woods; was a surveyor and an Indian fighter at twenty-one. _11._ Moved to Kentucky, saw men and women scalped, and resolved to capture the British posts north of the Ohio. _12._ Clark received permission from Patrick Henry, collected his little army, and floated down the Ohio to the falls. _13._ He drilled his men; set out for Kaskaskia, which he captured. _14._ Clark marched for Vincennes through the drowned lands; attacked and captured Vincennes. _15._ Clark was not rewarded by the government, but the state of Indiana has erected a great monument to his memory.

=Study Questions.= _1._ What did Boone do that was pioneer-like? _2._ What was the country doing in 1760? _3._ Why did Boone wish to leave North Carolina? _4._ What were the early names of Kentucky, and what did these names mean? _5._ Tell the story of Boone's first visit to Kentucky. _6._ Picture the capture and escape of Boone and Stewart. _7._ Find the places on the map which are named on Boone's Wilderness Road. _8._ Picture the scene in Boonesboro the night of the capture of the girls and also their rescue and return home. _9._ Go with Boone to Blue Licks and help make salt. _10._ Be captured, and tell of the long journey to Detroit, what you saw there, and how and why Boone made his escape. _11._ Tell the story of the last attack on Boonesboro. _12._ Why did Boone move to Missouri?

_13._ What famous men went to school at Fredericksburg? _14._ What famous men have lived a part of their time in the Shenandoah? _15._ What changed Sevier's career? _16._ Tell what happened to Sevier at the siege of Fort Watauga. _17._ Why did Sevier leave Watauga, and what sort of life did he lead on the Nolichucky? _18._ Tell of the gathering of the clans, and picture the battle of Kings Mountain. _19._ Why did the people of Tennessee love Sevier? _20._ Why was the boy disappointed?

_21._ What were Clark's surroundings in boyhood? _22._ When was he a scout? a leader in Kentucky? _23._ What made Clark learn to hate the British? _24._ Tell the story of his secret. _25._ Picture the voyage to the falls of the Ohio. _26._ What did Clark do here? _27._ Tell the story of events from the falls of the Ohio till he reached Kaskaskia. _28._ Picture the scene of the dance at Kaskaskia. _29._ What news did Clark give Father Gibault? _30._ Where were the British, and what did they do? _31._ Picture Clark's march to Vincennes. _32._ Be one of the soldiers of Clark and tell what was seen, heard, and done the night of the attack on Vincennes and the next day. _33._ Where was Clark's Grant? _34._ Why do we call Clark's conquest of Kaskaskia and Vincennes one of the greatest events in American history? _35._ Where is a monument erected to his memory? _36._ Find on the map the places mentioned in the campaign.

=Suggested Readings.= DANIEL BOONE: Wright, _Children's Stories of American Progress_, 1-40; Glascock, _Stories of Columbia_, 138-147; Hart, _Camps and Firesides of the Revolution_, 101-116; McMurry, _Pioneers of the Mississippi Valley_, 68-83.

JOHN SEVIER: Blaisdell and Ball, _Hero Stories from American History_, 90-104; McMurry, _Pioneers of the Mississippi Valley_, 104-123; Phelan, _History of Tennessee_, 57-66, 241-257.

GEORGE ROGERS CLARK: McMurry, _Pioneers of the Mississippi Valley_, 124-149; Blaisdell and Ball, _Hero Stories from American History_, 1-17; Eggleston, _Tecumseh and the Shawnee Prophet_, 41-51; Roosevelt, _The Winning of the West_, II, 31-85.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW REPUBLIC

ELI WHITNEY, WHO INVENTED THE COTTON GIN AND CHANGED THE HISTORY OF THE SOUTH

[Sidenote: =Eli at work in his father's tool shop=]

=113. What a Boy's Love of Tools Led to.= Before the Revolution there lived in a Massachusetts village a boy named Eli Whitney. His father had a farm, on which there was also a tool shop. This was the most wonderful place in the world to young Eli. Whenever he had a moment to spare, he was sure to be working away with his father's lathe or cabinet tools. At the age of twelve he made a good violin. After that people with broken violins came to him to have them mended.

One day, when his father had gone to church, Eli got Mr. Whitney's fine watch and took it all apart. He then showed his wonderful mechanical ability by putting it together again, and it ran as smoothly as before. During the war he made quite a bit of money as a nail-smith. At college he helped pay his expenses by mending things and doing a carpenter's work.

[Sidenote: =Goes to Georgia to teach=]

If Eli Whitney were living to-day he would surely have been an engineer. But there were no engineers in those days, so he decided to teach. He found a position in far-off Georgia, and took passage on a ship to Savannah. On board ship he found the widow of the old war hero, General Nathanael Greene, whom he had met a short time before. She liked the young man for his friendly nature and his intelligence. He had a very pleasant voyage. But sad was his disappointment when he arrived at Savannah! The people who had asked him to come had engaged another tutor, and he was left without a position.

[Sidenote: =Invited to Mulberry Grove=]

He was in a strange place, without money, and did not know what to do. Just then came an invitation to visit at Mulberry Grove, where Mrs. Greene lived. He went gladly and was treated very kindly. He made many new friends. The men liked the interest he took in their farms and their work. The children were his friends because he made for them wonderful toys of all sorts.

[Sidenote: =Cotton fiber separated from seed by hand=]

One day some visitors were talking with Mrs. Greene about cotton. This plant was little grown at that time. People knew that it had a fine soft fiber which could be made into excellent cloth. But the fiber had to be separated from the seed before it could be spun. In those days the seeds were taken out by hand, and even a skillful slave could clean only about a pound a day. Think of working a whole day for a handful of cotton! Because of this difficulty, cotton was very expensive, more so even than wool or linen. Only well-to-do people could wear cotton clothes.

=114. The Cotton Gin Invented.= One of the visitors said that a machine ought to be invented which would clean the cotton. Mrs. Greene thought of Whitney. She had seen him make many wonderful things. She believed he could make such a machine, and asked him to try. He thought about it, and believed he could make iron fingers do the work that the fingers of the slaves had done.

[Sidenote: =Whitney sets to work=]

[Sidenote: =Invents cotton gin=]

Whitney got a basketful of cotton and fixed up a shop. Then he went to work. He had a good deal of trouble, but he kept on. One day he called in Mrs. Greene and her overseer and proudly showed them his little machine, made of rollers and wires and brushes. Into this he poured the cotton just as it came from the field. When he turned a crank the soft, clean cotton came tumbling out of one side and the seeds out of another. This was the cotton gin, which in a few years was to change the entire life of the South.

A few years before Whitney made the cotton gin a vessel came to Liverpool with cotton from the United States. The people in Liverpool were astonished. They did not know that cotton grew in America! As soon as Whitney began to sell his new machines, all the South became a great cotton field. In 1825, the year of Whitney's death, the South shipped abroad thirty-seven million dollars' worth of cotton, more than that of all other goods exported from this country!

[Sidenote: =More slaves brought into the South=]

Before this time many planters had thought that slavery was unnecessary. But when Whitney's gin made cotton growing so profitable, they had to have many more laborers to raise this new crop. Thousands of black slaves were sold to the cotton-growing parts of the South. The planters then believed they could not grow cotton without slaves, and it took a terrible war to settle the great question of slave labor.

THOMAS JEFFERSON, WHO WROTE THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, FOUNDED THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY, AND PURCHASED THE LOUISIANA TERRITORY

[Sidenote: =Jefferson born in Virginia=]

[Sidenote: =A lover of books from boyhood=]

=115. The Early Years of Jefferson.= The author of the Declaration of Independence was born in 1743, near Charlottesville, Virginia. Like most other Virginia boys, Thomas Jefferson lived on a large plantation, and spent much time in hunting, fishing, and horseback riding. While yet a boy, and throughout his long life, Jefferson loved books and studied hard every subject that came before his mind.

[Sidenote: =Goes to William and Mary College=]

When seventeen years old he rode away to Williamsburg to attend the College of William and Mary, the second oldest college in America.

[Sidenote: =A wonderful old town=]

Although Williamsburg was the capital of the largest and oldest of all the colonies, it had scarcely more than two hundred houses, and not more than a thousand people. But it was a wonderful town in Jefferson's eyes, although it had but one main street. The capitol stood at one end of the street and the college at the other. It was the first town Thomas Jefferson had ever seen.

At the opening of the House of Burgesses, Jefferson saw the best people in the Old Colony come pouring in. The planters came in fine coaches drawn by beautiful horses. The wives and daughters came to attend the governor's reception, and to enjoy meeting their old friends.

[Sidenote: =He knew great men=]

Jefferson became acquainted with the great men of his colony, and with many young men who were to be the future leaders in America. Here he met Patrick Henry, a student in a law office. Jefferson liked the fun-making Henry, and the two young men enjoyed many happy hours together, playing their violins.

[Sidenote: =Studies law=]

After his graduation Jefferson remained in his old college town to study law in the office of one of Virginia's ablest lawyers. Henry often lodged in Jefferson's rooms when he came to attend the meetings of the Burgesses. When Henry made his stirring speech against the Stamp Act, Jefferson stood in the doorway of the House and listened spellbound to his friend's fiery eloquence.

[Sidenote: =Jefferson a member of the House of Burgesses=]

In a few years Jefferson himself was honored with a seat in the House of Burgesses. He immediately took a leading part in opposing the tax on tea. The king's governor became angry and sent the members of the House of Burgesses home. But before they went, the bolder ones met and signed a paper which pledged the people of Virginia to buy no more goods from England.

[Sidenote: =Marries and begins life at Monticello=]

The next important event in Jefferson's life was his falling in love, and his marriage to a young widow. She was beautiful in looks, winning in her manner, and rich in lands and slaves. Jefferson took his young wife to a handsome mansion which he had built on his great plantation. He called the home Monticello. Here these two Virginians, like Washington and his wife at Mount Vernon, spent many happy days.

[Sidenote: =A rich man=]

Jefferson, with his wife's estate added to his own, was a very wealthy man. Together they owned at this time nearly a hundred thousand acres of land and three hundred slaves.

[Sidenote: =Committee of Correspondence=]

But stirring events took Jefferson away from the quiet life at Monticello. After his marriage, he went to the meeting of the Burgesses, and there with other leaders formed a Committee of Correspondence. This committee wrote to the other colonies to get news of what the leaders were doing, and to tell them what the men in Virginia were planning to do. Each of the other colonies appointed committees of correspondence. They kept the news going back and forth as fast as rapid horsemen could carry it. These committees had a strong influence in uniting the colonies against England.

[Sidenote: =In the Continental Congress=]

=116. Writes the Declaration of Independence.= In 1775 the Burgesses chose Thomas Jefferson, Richard Henry Lee, and Benjamin Harrison as delegates to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. In this Congress Richard Henry Lee made a motion declaring that the thirteen colonies were free and independent of Great Britain.

The Congress appointed Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, and Robert R. Livingston of New York, to draw up a Declaration of Independence.

[Sidenote: =Jefferson writes the Declaration of Independence=]

When these great men met to talk over the Declaration, the others urged Jefferson to do the writing, for he was able to put his thoughts on paper in plain, strong words. How important that the Declaration should be well written, and should contain powerful reasons for breaking away from England and setting up an independent government! A large number of people in America were opposed to separating from England. Besides, good reasons must be given to those brave Englishmen who, like Pitt and Burke, had been our defenders in Parliament.

[Sidenote: =The other members liked what Jefferson wrote=]

When Jefferson showed what he had written, the others liked it so well only a few words were changed. Even after several days' debate in Congress, only a few more words were changed. Then it was signed by the members of the Congress and sent out for all the world to see why America was driven to fight for independence.

John Hancock, the president of the Congress, was the first to sign the Declaration, and he did so in large letters, saying that George III might read his name without spectacles. He also said: "We must all hang together in this matter." "Yes," replied Franklin, "we must all hang together, or we shall hang separately."

Jefferson returned to Virginia, and later became governor, on the resignation of Patrick Henry.

[Sidenote: =Minister to France=]