ed but five miles from Vincennes; from all directions
came reports of other bloody deeds. The frontier was thrown into panic.
A general uprising was felt to be impending; even Vincennes was thought
to be in danger. "Most of the citizens of this country," reported
Harrison, on the 6th of May, "have abandoned their farms, and taken
refuge in such temporary forts as they have been able to construct.
Scores fled to Kentucky and to even more distant regions."

Tecumseh continued to assert his friendship for his "white brothers" and
to treat the battle at Tippecanoe as a matter of no moment. The murders
on the frontier he declared to be the work of the Potawatomi, who were
not under his control, and for whose conduct he had no excuse. But it
was noted that he made no move to follow up his professed purpose to
visit Washington in quest of peace, and that he put forth no effort to
restrain his over-zealous allies. It was plain enough that he was simply
awaiting a signal from Canada, and that, as the commandant at Fort Wayne
tersely reported, if the country should have a war with Great Britain,
it must be prepared for an Indian war as well.

Chapter IX. The War Of 1812 And The New West

The spring of 1812 thus found the back country in a turmoil, and it
was with a real sense of relief that the settlers became aware of the
American declaration of war against Great Britain on the 18th of June.
More than once Governor Harrison had asked for authority to raise an
army with which to "scour" the Wabash territory. In the fear that such
a step would drive the redskins into the arms of the British, the War
Department had withheld its consent. Now that the ban was lifted,
the people could expect the necessary measures to be taken for their
defense. In no part of the country was the war more popular; nowhere did
the mass of the able-bodied population show greater eagerness to take
the field.

According to official returns, the Westerners were totally unprepared
for the contest. There were but five garrisoned posts between the Ohio
and the Canadian frontier. Fort Harrison had fifty men, Fort Wayne
eighty-five, Fort Dearborn fifty-three, Fort Mackinac eighty-eight,
and Detroit one hundred and twenty--a total force of fewer than four
hundred. The entire standing army of the United States numbered but
sixty-seven hundred men, and it was obvious that the trans-Alleghany
population would be obliged to carry almost alone the burden of thei