Fort Dearborn Massacre

Umar Khan and George A.

1803
In 1803, Captain John Whistler brought 40 men with him to
build Fort Dearborn. It was a stockade of logs that were
sharpened on top and placed into the ground. The outer
stockade was a wall with a gated entrance. There was a
secret underground opening that led beneath the north wall
into the river. In the fort there were officers quarters, troops
barracks, a parade ground, and an ammunition magazine.

John Kinzie
In 1804, a man named John Kinzie settled in the region and bought
the property of Jean Lalime. Over the next few years, Kinzie
became known as the civilian leader of the region, trading and
dealing with the local Native American population. He encouraged
close ties with the Potawatomi Indians and even sold them liquor,
which created tension with the other white settlers.

First Threat
The first threat that came to Fort Dearborn was with the war of
1812, a conflict that brought the attention of the local Indian tribes.
The main tribes were the Potawatomi and Wynadot. The war
brought many Indian tribes into alliance with the British because
they saw Americans as invaders to their land. After the British
captured the soldiers, Fort Dearborn was in great danger. General
William Hull ordered Heald to abandon the fort but he delayed in
carrying out the orders.

First Threat Continued

The Americans had nowhere to go. The unrest of the Indians
brought a large group of the to the fort where they gathered in a
blockade-like state. The soldiers were concerned over the growing
numbers of Indians outside the fort. Heald realized that he would
have to bargain with the Indians if the occupants of Fort Dearborn
were going safely to Fort Wayne.

Captain Heald and the Indians

On August 12 Heald left the fort to hold a council with the Indians
outside. By this time there were about 500 of the Indians outside
the fort. Heald proposed to the Chiefs that he would share their
ammunition and whiskey in exchange for safe conduct to Fort
Wayne. The chiefs quickly agreed. When Heald returned to fort his
officers rapidly showed their concern that the Indians would turn
the guns on the officers. Heald then destroyed the ammunition and
dumped the whiskey in the river.

Captain Wells
On August 14, Captain William Wells brought with him 30 Miami
soldiers. They were able to slip past the horde outside and they
appeared at the front gates of the fort. Captain Wells was the uncle
of Captain Healds wife. After he heard of the evacuation at Fort
Dearborn, and having knowledge of the hostile intensity of the local
tribes, he headed towards the fort to assist in Healds escape. He
was too late.

The Trip to Fort Wayne

Late on the evening of the 14th, another assembly was held
between Heald, Wells and the Indians. Heald was told that despite
the anger over the destruction of the ammunition and the dumping
of the whiskey the soldiers would still be conducted to Fort Wayne.
In turn, Heald had to abandon fort immediately.

Ready for War

At this point Heald had more than his men and their families to
think of. Nearby settlers also came to the fort for protection.
Throught the night, wagons were being loaded and ammunition
was distributed, about 25 rounds per man. Early the next morning
soldiers, civilians, women and children left the fort. Infantry soldiers
led the way followed by a caravan of wagons and men on
horseback. The rear was guarded by a portion of the Miami who
had accompanied Wells. They along with Wells did not believe the
promises made by the tribes and were ready for war.

Deception
The file of soldiers and settlers were escorted by around 500
Potawatomi Indians. As they were marching southward into a low
range of sand hills that separated the Lake Michigan beaches from
the prairie, the Potawatomi moved silently to the right, where there
was a hill of sand between the two groups. This was done in a way
where no one noticed as the file trudged along the shoreline.
Further down the beach the two groups would meet again.

Beginning of The Battle

There was a sudden confusion in the front of the file. The Indians
were attacking. A line of Potawatomi appeared over the edge of the
ridge and fired at the file. The officers were able to rally their men
into a battle line, but it was of little use. Many of them fell from
immediate wounds. The line collapsed because of this. The Indians
overwhelmed them with their numbers, flanking the line and
stealing the wagons and horses.

The Battle
What followed was butchery, officers were slain with tomahawks,
the forts surgeon was killed by gunfire and then was literally
chopped up into pieces. Mrs. Heald was wounded by gunfire but
was spared when she was captured by a sympathetic chief. The
wife of one soldier fought so savagely she was hacked to pieces
before she fell. A settlers niece was spared but was narrowly
wounded by a tomahawk.

Surrender
In the end, cut down to less than half of their men, the soldiers
surrendered under the promise of safe conduct. In all 148 of the
column were killed, 86 were adults and 12 children. Captain Wells,
captured early in the fight, was so enraged because of the
slaughter that he managed to escape from his captors. He
borrowed a horse and rode furiously into camp where their own
women and children were hiding.

The Bravery of Wells

Somehow, the barrage of bullets fired at him missed their mark, but
his horse was brought down and he was captured again. Two
Indian chiefs intervened to save his life, but Pesotum, a
Potawatomi chief, stabbed Wells in the back and killed him. His
heart was then cut out and distributed to the other warriors as a
token of bravery. The next day, a half-breed Wynadot named Billy
Caldwell, gathered what was left of Wells mutilated body and
buried it in the sand. Wells Street, in Chicago, now bears this brave
frontiersmans name.

The Effect of The Battle

In the battle, Captain Heald was wounded twice, and his wife was
wounded seven times. They were released and a St. Joseph Indian
named Chaudonaire brought them to Mackinac, where they were
turned over to the British commander. He sent them to Detroit and
they were exchanged with the American authorities. John Kinzie
and his family also lived. His friendship with the Potawatomi led to
him being taken away from the massacre.

Kinzies Role
He came back to Chicago a year later, but found that a lot had changed by then.
He failed to get his business running and took a position with the American Fur
Company, who used been his largest competitor. In time, the Illinois fur trade
came to an end and Kinzie worked as a trader and Indian interpreter until he died
in 1828. At that point, thanks to history books written by his descendants, Kinzie
was almost enshrined as a founder of Chicago. Through the 1800s, history
overlooked his questionable business practices, like selling liquor to the Indians
and even the murder of a business rival. It would not be until much later that
Kinzies role in Chicago history would be questioned.

Bibliography
http://www.prairieghosts.com/dearborn.html
http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/December-2009/The-True-Storyof-the-Deadly-Encounter-at-Fort-Dearborn/
http://www.wbez.org/blogs/john-r-schmidt/2012-08/200-years-ago-fort-dearbornmassacre-101503
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-08-15/opinion/ct-perspec-0815dearborn-20120815_1_fort-dearborn-massacre-indian-country-indian-culture
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-08-14/opinion/ct-oped-0814-byrne20120814_1_indian-country-fort-dearborn-massacre-potawatomis

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http://genealogytrails.com/ill/cook/ftdearborn.html
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