HARRISON
HARRISON
and he resigned his commission in the army and
under Gen. Arthur St. Clair as governor assumed
his new duties. He was lieutenant-governor ex
officio and acting governor during tlie frequent
and prolonged absences of General St. Clair.
He resigned iu October, 1799, having been elected
with William McMillan the tirst territorial del-
egates admitted to congress, and he represented
the territory northwest of the Oliio river in the
6th congress, 1799-1801. In this congress, as
chairman of the committee of investigation into
the existing land laws, he secured the subdivi-
sion of the public lands into small tracts to the
advantage of actual settlei's, but much to the
regret of speculators, who opposed the measure.
When the territory of Indiana, comprising the
present area of the state of Indiana, Illinois, Mich-
igan and Wisconsin, was formed, Harrison was
appointed by President Adams in 1800 governor
of the new territory and sviperintendeut of Indian
affairs, and he served by reappointment through
the administrations of Presidents Jefferson and
Madison. His powers were extraordinary in that
he was commander-in-cliief of the territorial
militia, Indian commissioner, land commissioner,
sole legislator and law-giver. He appointed all
magistrates and civil officers and all military
officers below the grade of general. He was
empowered to divide the territory into counties,
and townships, and was the sole judge of the va-
lidity of existing land gi*ants, his signature on a
title making it unquestionable. He secured for
the government treaties with the Indians by
which they ceded huudreds of thousands of acres
of land to the United States. He also held the
pardoning power and supreme power to treat
with the Indians. In 1803 the vast territory of
Upper Louisiana was placed imder his jurisdic-
tion and added greatly to his labor, extending
his lines of travel on horseback and by canoe and
river crafts in visiting the various posts and
tribes. His opportunities for speculating in
lands, a business then extensively carried on,
were unlimited and unchecked, and yet he re-
frained to the extent of not acquiring a single
foot of land for personal use, fearing lest his
official integrity should be questioned. In 1805
he obtained some relief by prevailing on congress
to organize the territory with Vincennes as the
capital and to provide for an election by the people,
for a territorial legislature and for a council of
five for the territory, selected by congress from
names suggested by the legislature. His conduct
of the government of Upper Louisiana resulted
in a vote of thanks from the citizens of St. Louis
in 1805 for the manner in which he had served
their interest. He refused a gift of one-third of
the land on which the city afterward stood for
his assistance in building it up. The Indian
tribes, provoked in a measure by influence from
the borders of British America, became exces-
sively troublesome and General Harrison early
in 1811 learned of a gathering of 1000 warriors at
Tippecanoe, the town of EUskwatawa. brother
of their chief and prophet of the tribe. He lield
a council with them, July 27, 1811, which led to
no settlement and was prevented from being
tragic by the coolness of Harrison, who reported
the condition of affairs to Washington and was-
authorized to use force to subjugate the savages.
In October he advanced with 1000 men takeiii
from the regular infantry and from the territo-
rial militia, built Fort Harrison near the site of
FORT HARF^ISO/N.
Terre Haute, and on the 28th, leaving a garrison at the fort, marched within a mile and a half of the town when his force of about 700 was sud- denly attacked while in camp. In the battle which ensued the Indians who had gathered were completely defeatetl and driven trom the field by the cavalry. Governor Harrison directed the bat- tle and escaped from the bullets of the savages, although a target for their rifles as he rode his horse at the head of the little army and led in person the company of the 4th infantry that turned the fortune of the day. His hat was pierced by the same rifle ball that killed his aide, Colonel Owen. For his " masterlj' conduct in the direction and manoeuvring of the troops," and " for the collected firmness which distinguished the commander on an occasion requiring the utmost exertion of valor and discipline,'" he was mentioned in the message of the President to congress and the legislatures of Kentuckj' and Indiana. When war was declared with Great Britain, June 18, 1812, the Indians took sides with the British and Harrison was invited to Frankfort, Ky., to consult with Governor Shelby on the adoption of defensive measures. He also consulted with Henry Clay and reported the condition of affairs to President Madison. The British had taken possession of Mackinac and
