War of 1812 in Peoria-- Part 5: Building Fort Clark

With over 1,000 men to assist, the construction of the new fort at what is today  Peoria was completed quickly by September 23, 1813.  A brass six-pound cannon was mounted in the fort and fired in celebration of the accomplishment.  The fort was named Fort Clark in honor of  General George Rogers Clark, the celebrated hero of the American Revolution who had victories against the British at  Vincennes and Kaskaskia.

General Howard sent a force in two boats under Major William Christy to pursue the Indians on the upper Illinois River.  Another force under  Major Nathan Boone (was this Garner's unit?), followed the course of the Spoon River for fifty miles.  

Upon their return to Fort Clark, both officers reported that their troops had been unable to overtake the fleeing Indians.  The rangers were relieved of their duty at Fort Clark in mid-October, and returned to their   home stations, leaving the regular U.S. troops to garrison the post.

--Brock-Perry

War of 1812 in Peoria, Illinois-- Part 4: Building a Fort and Attacking Indian Villages

A year later, in September 1813, Brigadier General Benjamin Howard led another expedition of about 1,400 men against the Indian villages around Lake Pimiteoui.  The first portion of the expedition, a detachment of about 150 troops of the first United States Infantry under the command of Lt. Colonel Robert Carter Nicholas arrived at Lake Pimiteoui on August 29.

 The troops came from St. Louis in reinforced keel boats and immediately began to build a stockade adjacent to the river at the site of the former French village.  Trees were cut on the eastern  shore of the lake and rafted across to the western shore.

While the first blockhouse was under construction, 150 Indians under the command of Black Partridge made an attack on the troops, but were driven off.

Eight hundred mounted rangers from the Illinois and Missouri militia reached the settlement three days after the arrival of the regulars.  The rangers marched to the two Indian villages at the head of Lake Pimiteoui; on the eastern shore was the village of  Black Partridge, and on the western shore was the Potawatomi village of Chief Gomo.

The rangers burned what was left of the villages and returned to the French village.

--Brock-Perry

Fort Clark in Peoria-- Part 2

In October 1812, Ninian Edwards, Illinois Territory governor, launched a three-pronged attack on Indian villages at Peoria Lake (where Peoria is now located and a wide place in the Illinois River).  He believed the villages harbored warriors who had attacked American settlements.  Edwards led a horse-mounted force and destroyed Black  Partidge's village on the east side of the lake.

On November 5, 1812,  Captain Thomas Craig arrived by  boat at Peoria.  Unknown to Craig, William Clark, Superintendent of Indian Affairs (yes, that William Clark as in Lewis & Clark Expedition) and Ninian Edwards had retained the services of Thomas Forsyth to monitor Indian movements at Peoria Lake.  

Despite Forsyth's protest that the community was not involved, Craig arrested a few dozen of the village's inhabitants, burned part f the community, and transported those he detained downriver to Alton.

To assert American authority over the Peoria Lake area, in 1813, a force of about 1,400 men under  the command of Brigadier General  Benjamin Howard returned to The area to erect Fort Clark.  In addition they destroyed  what remained of Gomo's and Black Partridge's  abandoned villages.  William Garner Sr. was a member of this force.

In retaliation, Indians under Black Partridge attacked Fort Clark, but were repulsed and later signed a treaty of peace.

--Brock-Perry

Fort Clark Constructed in Peoria in 1813-- Part 1: Peoria a Largely French Settlement At the Time

In my July 12 post, I wrote that William Garner was a member of the Illinois Territory Rangers and that he had gone to Peoria to build forts.  I could only find one War of 1812 fort built in Peoria, and that was Fort Clark.  So, this must have been the fort he helped build.

From the Illinois River Road site.

In 1813,  a force of about 1,400 men  under the command of Brigadier General Benjamin Howard constructed Fort Clark   on the river front of the largely French community in Peoria.

No remains are left and its approximate site is in Liberty Park on the Illinois River.

--Brock-Perry

St. Charles, Mo. & the War of 1812-- Part 3: Battle of Credit Island

William Becknell witnessed a conversation between Benjamin Howard and James Callaway where Howard either borrowed $400 from Callaway or had somehow ended up indebted to Callaway.  This came up in litigation several years later.

Shortly afterwards, the U.S. Mounted Rangers traveled up the Mississippi River to the Rock River in present day Quad-Cities, where the Battle of Credit island took place September 4 and 5.  The American force was led by General Zachary Taylor and was defeated forcing a retreat down the Mississippi River to Fort Johnson, located where the state boundaries of Missouri, Illinois and Iowa meet.

Benjamin Howard returned to St. Louis, but fell sick along the way and died soon afterward.

--Brock-Perry

St. Charles & War of 1812-- Part 2: Benjamin Howard

William Becknell was appointed ensign by order of General Benjamin Howard.  James Callaway at the same time was appointed captain of the company of U.S. Mounted Rangers.

In 1810, Benjamin Howard had been appointed governor of the Louisiana Territory by President Madison.  That territory was later renamed the Missouri Territory.  In 1812, he resigned his position to become a brigadier general and assumed command of American troops west of the Mississippi River, including the U.S. Mounted Rangers.

Becknell and his company then spent the majority of the next two years in service northwest of St. Charles, Mo. in an area between the Missouri and the Mississippi rivers.

In the mid-summer of 1814, the company was at Cap au Gris, where the Cuivre River flows into the Mississippi near present-day Troy.

--Brock-Perry

Benjamin Howard (Missouri)-- Part 3: Where Is He Buried?

Unfortunately, while returning from the attack on Peoria, Howard fell ill and died in St. Louis, Missouri territory on September 18, 1814.  He was originally buried at an unknown site, but likely somewhere in downtown St. Louis.

Later, he was moved to the Old Grove Church graveyard, north of downtown sometime between 1817 and 1844.

Then, he was allegedly reinterred at Bellefontaine Cemetery sometime after 1851, but that cemetery has no record of it.

Find-a-Grave lists him as being buried at Bellefontaine Cemetery.

--Brock-Perry

Benjamin Howard (Missouri)-- Part 2: Attack on Peoria

The Louisiana Territory for which Benjamin Howard was governor was renamed the Missouri Territory in June 1812.

He resigned his post as governor in the War of 1812 and became a brigadier general in the 8th Military Department.  He and Nathan Boone (Daniel Boone's youngest son) attacked Sac and Fox villages in Illinois and established Fort Clark by Peoria.

--Brock-Perry

Benjamin Howard (Missouri)-- Part 1

 From Wikipedia.

Benjamin Howard moved along the Mississippi River with Col. Benjamin Stephenson in an attempt to clear the Indians out.

1760-September 18, 1814

Congressman from Kentucky, first governor of Missouri Territory, brigadier general War of 1812.

Born in Lexington, Kentucky, then part of Virginia and graduated 1797 from College of William and Mary.  Served in the 10th and 11th Congresses from Kentucky.  On April 17, 1810, was appointed by President James Madison to be governor of Louisiana Territory (the part of the Louisiana Purchase north of the present day state of Louisiana.

--Brock-Perry

Benjamin Stephenson of Illinois-- Part 10: Dispersing the Indians

They found a deserted Sac village near modern-day Quincy, Illinois,.  They then  marched  east to the Illinois River and followed it to Peoria.

From there they went north to Gomo's village which they found to also be deserted.

There were no battles in the campaign, but it did disperse the Indians and forestalled further attacks.

The force returned to Fort Russell near Edwardsville by late October 1813.

--Brock-Perry

Benjamin Stephenson of Illinois-- Part 9: More Indian Problems

But in 1813, problems with the Indians resurfaced in the Illinois Territory as there were scattered attacks in Illinois as well as in the Missouri Territory.

By August 1813, General Benjamin Howard of Missouri had gathered both Illinois and Missouri Rangers and militia.  The Illinois militia was commanded by Benjamin Stephenson.  Howard's army of 1,400 marched north along the Mississippi River.

Howard's men were on the west side of the river while Stephenson was on the east.

--Brock-Perry

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