preparations, said that his women and children were all in tears, and
falsely asserted that the hearts of all the Prophet's party were warm
towards the United States. The Governor peremptorily informed the
Kickapoo that the army was about to march, and that nothing but an
immediate surrender of the Indian murderers and horse-thieves would
satisfy the government. The mount of Captain William Piatt, chief
quartermaster of the expedition, and four horses from Busseron had just
been stolen, and all further dissimulation on the part of the savages
was without avail.

The account of the march, as recorded by Captain John Tipton, is
exceedingly interesting. The militiamen of southern Indiana and Kentucky
assembled from the frontier settlements, were men of simple habits,
rough, unlettered, hard to teach the intricacies of military evolutions,
but as General John C. Black has stated, they were also "insensible to
fatigue, watchful as a catamount, resolute as men, heroic as martyrs."
Some of their favorite sports were wrestling, shooting at a mark, and
horse-racing. All were inured to an active, outdoor life. Most of them
were without tents and few had blankets, but they did not complain. As
the army advanced through the wilderness, the cutting down of bee trees,
the shooting of squirrels, raccoon and deer were everyday occurrences;
horses strayed away and were recovered; the provision boats lodged on
the sand bars in the river and were launched again; stories of adventure
and midnight massacre were told about the great camp fires. All came
from families who had suffered from savage outrage; all hated both
British and Indians "with a holy hate," and all were determined that the
forces of civilization should not recede. They were eager for battle and
unafraid.

On the second of October the army arrived at Terre Haute or "high land,"
said to be the scene of a bloody battle between the ancient tribe of the
Illinois and the Iroquois. The place was designated by the old French
traders and settlers as "Bataille des Illinois." A few old apple and
peach trees still marked the site of an ancient Indian village. About
two miles from this location was a town of the Weas. Harrison
immediately began the erection of a quadrangular stockaded fort, with a
blockhouse at three of the angles. This fortification, amid much
celebrating, was, on Sunday, the twenty-seventh of October,
christened as Fort Harrison. An oration was delivered on the occas