French Threaten Americans.

This greatly exasperated the French, who kept a guard over the other Indians who were in town, and next day sent them to the woods.  Then their head men, magistrates, and officers of the militia, summoned the Americans before a council, and ordered all who had not regular passports from the local court to leave at once, “bag and baggage.”  This created the utmost consternation among the Americans, whom the French outnumbered five to one, while the savages certainly would have destroyed them had they tried to go back to Kentucky.  Their leaders again wrote urgent appeals for help to Clark, asking that a general guard might be sent them if only to take them out of the country.  Filson had already gone overland to Louisville and told the authorities of the straits of their brethren at Vincennes, and immediately an expedition was sent to their relief under Captains Hardin and Patton.

    Indians Attempt to Destroy Americans.

Meanwhile, on July 15th, a large band of several hundred Indians, bearing red and white flags, came down the river in forty-seven canoes to attack the Americans at Vincennes, sending word to the French that if they remained neutral they would not be molested.  The French sent envoys to dissuade them from their purpose, but the war chiefs and sachems answered that the red people were at last united in opposition to “the men wearing hats,” and gave a belt of black wampum to the wavering Piankeshaws, warning them that all Indians who refused to join against the whites would thenceforth be treated as foes.  However, their deeds by no means corresponded with their threats.  Next day they assailed the American block-house or stockaded fort, but found they could make no impression and drew off.  They burned a few outlying cabins and slaughtered many head of cattle, belonging both to the Americans and the French; and then, seeing the French under arms, held further parley with them, and retreated, to the relief of all the inhabitants.

    A Successful Skirmish.

At the same time the Kentuckians, under Hardin and Patton, stumbled by accident on a party of Indians, some of whom were friendly Piankeshaws and some hostile Miamis.  They attacked them without making any discrimination between friend and foe, killed six, wounded seven, and drove off the remainder.  But they themselves lost one man killed and four wounded, including Hardin, and fell back to Louisville without doing anything more. [Footnote:  Letter of Legrace and Filson’s Journal.  The two contradict one another as to which side was to blame.  Legrace blames the Americans heavily for wronging both the French and the Indians; and condemns in the strongest terms, and probably with justice, many of their number, and especially Sullivan.  He speaks, however, in high terms of Henry and Small; and both of these, in their letters referred to above, paint the conduct of the French and Indians in very dark colors, throwing the blame on them.  Legrace is certainly disingenuous in suppressing all mention of the wrongs done to the Americans.  For Filson’s career and death in the woods, see the excellent Life of Filson, by Durrett, in the Filson club publications.]