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fatiguing." Provisions were carried on packhorses supplemented by wild game the men shot as they traveled. They reached the Little Wabash River on 13 February and found it flooded, making a stream about 5 miles (8 km) wide. They built a large canoe to shuttle men and supplies across. The next few days were especially trying: provisions were running low, and the men were almost continually wading through water. They reached the
Embarras River on February 17. They were now only 9 miles (14 km) from Fort Sackville but the river was too high to ford. They followed the Embarrass down to the Wabash River, where the next day they began to build boats. Spirits were low: they had been without food for the last two days, and Clark struggled to keep men from deserting. Clark later wrote that "I conducted myself in such a manner that caused the whole to believe that I had no doubt of success, which kept their spirits up." Even so, a February 20 entry in Captain Bowman's Field Journal describes the men in camp as "very quiet but hungry; some almost in despair; many of the creole volunteers talking of returning." By February 22, Bowman reports that they still have "No provisions yet. Lord help us!" and that "Those that were weak and famished from so much fatigue went in the canoes" as they marched towards toward Vincennes.
607:. The party, which escorted two captive Canadien deserters in tow, had been ordered by Hamilton to patrol the nearby area. Having been informed by his Kickapoo allies of the party's movements, Clark ordered a detachment of soldiers under the command of Captain John Williams to capture them. The war party mistakenly assumed Williams and his men were there to escort them into Fort Vincennes, and greeted them by discharging their firearms. Williams responded by firing his weapon before seizing one of the Canadien leaders, which led the rest of the party to flee in panic; Williams' men opened fire, killing two, wounding three and capturing eight. The two deserters were released after being captured, and the remaining six captives consisted of a Canadien and five Indians. Clark ordered the five Indians to be murdered before the fort to terrify the British and sow dissension between them and their Indian allies.
522:
packhorses behind. They marched towards
Vincennes, sometimes in water up to their shoulders. The last few days were the hardest: crossing a flooded plain about 4 miles wide, they used the canoes to shuttle the weary from high point to high point. Shortly before reaching Vincennes, they captured a villager known to be a friend, who informed Clark that they were still unsuspected. Clark sent the man ahead with a letter to the inhabitants of Vincennes, warning them that he was just about to arrive with an army and that everyone should stay in their homes unless they wanted to be considered an enemy. The message was read in the public square. No one went to the fort to warn Hamilton.
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journey as one of "forlorn hope," as his small force was faced with a long journey over land that was "in many parts flowing with water." While Clark and his men marched across country, 40 men left in an armed row-galley, which was to be stationed on the Wabash River below
Vincennes to prevent the British from escaping by water.
592:, to offer terms. Clark sent Helm back with a demand of unconditional surrender within 30 minutes, or else he would storm the fort. Helm returned before the time had expired and presented Hamilton's proposal for a three-day truce. This too was rejected but Clark agreed to meet Hamilton at the village church.
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At the church, Clark and Bowman met with
Hamilton and signed terms of surrender. At 10:00 a.m. on 25 February, Hamilton's garrison of 79 men marched out of the fort. Clark's men raised the American flag over the fort and renamed it Fort Patrick Henry. Clark sent Hamilton, seven of his officers,
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Clark had his men build an entrenchment 200 yards in front of the fort's gate. While militia fired at the fort throughout the night, small squads crept up to within 30 yards of the walls to get a closer shot. The
British fired their cannon, destroying a few houses in the city but doing little damage
512:
Clark led his men across what is now the state of
Illinois, a journey of about 180 miles. Clark later remembered that the weather was "wet, but, fortunately, not cold for the season" but found "a great part of the plains under water several inches deep." This made the men's march "difficult and very
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Clark and his men marched into
Vincennes at sunset on 23 February, entering the town in two divisions, one commanded by Clark and the other by Bowman. Taking advantage of a slight elevation of land which concealed his men but allowed their flags to be seen, Clark maneuvered his troops to create the
651:
Clark had high hopes after his recapture of
Vincennes. "This stroke", he said, "will nearly put an end to the Indian War." In the coming years of the war, Clark attempted to organize a campaign against Detroit but each time the expedition was called off because of insufficient men and supplies.
521:
On
February 20, five hunters from Vincennes were captured while traveling by boat. They told Clark that his little army had not yet been detected, and that the people of Vincennes were still sympathetic to the Americans. The next day, Clark and his men crossed the Wabash by canoe, leaving their
508:
On
February 5, 1779, Clark set out for Vincennes with Captain Bowman, his second-in-command, and 170 men, nearly half of them French volunteers from the village of Kaskaskia in the Illinois Country. Later, in a letter to his friend and mentor George Mason, Clark described his feeling for the
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I know the case is desperate; but, sir, we must either quit the country or attack Mr. Hamilton. No time is to be lost. Were I sure of a reinforcement, I should not attempt it. Who knows what fortune will do for us? Great things have been affected by a few men well conducted. Perhaps we may be
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In the aftermath of the capture a six-pound cannon, which was tampered by the British ahead of time, was fired in celebratory fashion by a few of Clark's soldiers. The blast accidentally ignited nearby cannon cartridges resulting in a devastating explosion that mortally wounded
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and 18 other prisoners to Williamsburg. Canadiens who had accompanied Hamilton were paroled after taking an oath of neutrality. A team of Clark's soldiers and local militia was sent upriver on the Wabash, where a supply convoy was captured, along with British reinforcements and
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The winter expedition was Clark's most significant military achievement and became the source of his reputation as an early American military hero. Clark was credited with capturing the fort without losing a single soldier. When news of his victory reached General
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to the besiegers. Clark's men silenced the cannon by firing through the fort's portholes, killing and wounding some of the gunners. Meanwhile, Clark received local help; the villagers freely gave him powder and ammunition they had hidden from Hamilton's men, and
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At about 9:00 a.m. on 24 February, Clark sent a message to the fort demanding Hamilton's surrender. Hamilton declined, and the firing continued for another two hours until Hamilton sent out his prisoner, Captain
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fortunate. We have this consolation, that our cause is just, and that our country will be grateful and not condemn our conduct in case we fall through. If we fail, the Illinois as well as Kentucky, I believe, is lost.
652:
Meanwhile, settlers began to pour into Kentucky after hearing news of Clark's victory. In 1779, Virginia opened a land office to register claims in Kentucky, and settlements such as Louisville were established.
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volunteers sympathetic to the American cause. After a daring wintertime march, the small American force was able to force the British to surrender the fort and in a larger frame the Illinois territory.
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in December 1778. In early 1781, Virginia resolved to hand the region over to the central government, paving the way for the final ratification of the Articles of Confederation. These lands became the
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convinced residents to support the American cause. Despite the commotion, Hamilton did not realize the fort was under attack until one of his men was wounded by a bullet coming through a window.
664:. Washington recognized his achievement had been gained without support from the regular army in men or funds. Virginia capitalized on Clark's success by laying claim to the whole of the
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chief, offered to have his 100 men assist in the attack. Clark declined the chief's offer, fearing that in the darkness his men might mistake the friendly Piankeshaws and
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impression that 1,000 men were approaching. While Clark and Bowman secured the town, a detachment was sent to begin firing at
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482:. Clark decided that he needed to launch a surprise winter attack on Vincennes before Hamilton could recapture the
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Clark's march to Vincennes has been depicted in many paintings, such as this illustration by F. C. Yohn.
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Lieutenant Governor Henry Hamilton surrenders to Colonel George Rogers Clark, February 25, 1779
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560:(previously named Fort Vincennes) after their wet black powder was replaced by local resident
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779:"Fort Sackville - George Rogers Clark National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)"
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warriors, led by two Canadiens, neared Clark's encampments after leaving the
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During these negotiations, a British-allied war party of between 15 and 20
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The miniature model of Fort Sackville/Vincennes as it would appear in 1777.
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854:"IHB: Bowman's Journal Telling How Clark and His Men Took Fort Sackville"
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803:"IHB: Letter from George Rogers Clark to his Friend George Mason"
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Battles in the Western theater of the American Revolutionary War
427:, was a Revolutionary War frontier battle fought in present-day
660:, Clark's success was celebrated and was used to encourage the
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George Rogers Clark and the Winning of the Old Northwest
882:. Office of Publications, National Park Service. 1975.
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The Night Attack on Fort Sackville, February 23, 1779
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Battles of the American Revolutionary War in Indiana
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American Revolutionary War § Stalemate in the North
584:for one of the enemy tribes that were in the area.
439:over a British garrison led by Lieutenant Governor
647:commemorating the 150th anniversary of the siege.
478:to inform Clark about Hamilton's reoccupation of
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16:Battle in the United States war for independence
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830:"IHB: George Rogers Clark Memoir - Part Seven"
713:"Battle of Vincennes, Victory for G. W. Clark"
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486:in the spring. He wrote to Governor Henry:
435:won by a militia led by American commander
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916:"Revolutionary War - Battle of Vincennes"
1006:Sieges of the American Revolutionary War
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643:1929 American postage stamp designed by
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443:. Roughly half of Clark's militia were
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894:"The Campaign to Vincennes"
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735:"The Forgotten Long Knife"
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31:American Revolutionary War
1016:1779 in the United States
896:. Archiving Early America
757:"The Battle of Vincennes"
737:. Archiving Early America
715:. Sons of Liberty Chapter
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972:38.679194°N 87.535594°W
550:H. Charles McBarron Jr.
421:siege of Fort Sackville
417:siege of Fort Vincennes
676:of the United States.
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615:, Hamilton's judge in
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147:Commanders and leaders
44:Fall of Fort Sackville
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226:Casualties and losses
48:Frederick Coffay Yohn
1001:Knox County, Indiana
662:alliance with France
627:and injured officer
537:(Edward Mason, 1895)
470:On January 29, 1779
419:, also known as the
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674:Northwest Territory
437:George Rogers Clark
425:Battle of Vincennes
382:Crawford expedition
160:George Rogers Clark
61:23–25 February 1779
24:Battle of Vincennes
711:Lampman, Charles.
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629:Edward Worthington
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71:Vincennes, Indiana
1011:Conflicts in 1779
692:Battle of Trenton
658:George Washington
562:François Busseron
458:Illinois Campaign
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472:Francis Vigo
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372:Gnadenhütten
322:Fort Laurens
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292:Island Flats
219:145 militia
217:79 regulars
212:172 militia
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90:Belligerents
43:
29:Part of the
975: /
783:www.nps.gov
327:Chillicothe
240:79 captured
221:325 Indians
214:100 Indians
990:Categories
963:87°32′08″W
960:38°40′45″N
938:Palmer, IV
925:2016-01-04
900:8 February
863:2016-07-07
858:www.in.gov
839:2016-07-07
834:www.in.gov
812:2016-07-07
807:www.in.gov
788:2016-07-07
763:23 January
741:23 January
719:23 January
698:References
578:Piankeshaw
496:Expedition
456:See also:
392:Blue Licks
238:5 wounded
236:16 killed
110:Piankeshaw
635:Aftermath
480:Vincennes
476:Kaskaskia
429:Vincennes
357:Coshocton
332:St. Louis
317:Fort Pitt
312:Vincennes
233:5 wounded
231:1 killed
680:See also
582:Kickapoo
517:Foreword
445:Canadien
423:and the
367:Long Run
307:Illinois
207:Strength
201:Egushawa
114:Kickapoo
66:Location
617:Detroit
452:Prelude
433:Indiana
177:†
133:Shawnee
601:Lenape
193:
173:
141:Lenape
125:
102:
78:Result
597:Odawa
526:Siege
342:Piqua
137:Odawa
46:, by
902:2012
765:2013
743:2013
721:2013
599:and
576:, a
415:The
58:Date
992::
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821:^
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269:e
262:t
255:v
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
