Page:Messages and Letters of William Henry Harrison Vol. 1.djvu/761

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HARRISON: MESSAGES AND LETTERS
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accompanied him from Lexington, the Col.'s then place of residence, and four young gentlemen from Louisville who were waiting there for company." The cavalry of the expedition consisted of Captains Baggs, Funks and Parks companies, to the command of this arm Col. Jo Daviess was appointed much to the dissatisfaction of the officers and men who being volun- teers, considered that they should have been consulted in the choice of their immediate superior officers. After a few days delay, the little army passed up the Wa- bash river to Terre Haute, the desig-n being, there to build a fort, but the banks of the river proving too high, a point four miles higher up was selected, where in 29 days was con- structed Fort Harrison. At Fort Harrison and subsequently on its route toward the prophet's town, the expedition was frequently visited by par- ties of Indians who committed no depredations and asserted that all difficulties and misunderstandings would be overcome by their chiefs. The troops having become sickly, the 4th Regiment suffer- ing the most, Gov. Harrison before leaving the Fort having been informed that the Indians were more numerous in his front than he had previously been led to expect, sent Davis Floyd and Geoi'ge R. C. Floyd to Kentucky to apply for a re- inforcement of 500 men. Consequent upon this application made by the two envoys to Brigadier General Samuel Wells, he ordered out his brigade and beat up for volunteers. The privates hanging back. General Wells and several of his of- ficers stepped out and being joined by some of the file, the volunteer force was swelled to 32 men, and it, electing Col. Frederic Geiger as their Captain proceeded to join the expedi- tion. It should be stated that Gen. Wells having called out his brigade without first obtaining the sanction of the Executive, which would have instantly been granted on application, the soldiers had scruples as to the propriety of volunteering that the Executive authority was not applyed for may have arrisen from the fact that Frankfort, the residence of Gov. Scott is 250 miles from Fort Harrison, that at the time of the de- parture of the envoys thence Gov. Harrison expected in a few . George Croghan of Louisville subsctiuently deceased as inspectoi • Gen. U. S. Ai-my; John OTallon of Louisville now the millionaire of St. Louis Missc >uri^O Fallon and Croghan nephews of Gen. George Rogers Clark; Harbin H. Moore of Louisville, subsequently Capt, U. S. Army, and Hynes of Bardstown. Ky.