Vincennes Changes Hands

After George Rogers Clark took possession of the Kaskaskia settlement and the American flag was raised, the British commander, Rocheblave (who was a Frenchman actually), wrote to General Carleton that the "self-styled Colonel Mr. Clark" had forced him to surrender the post.  Rocheblave was sent as a captive to Williamsburg but soon escaped.  His slaves, however, were sold for 500 pounds and the money distributed among Clark's men. 

The British post of Cahokia was taken next without resistance.  The French priest, Father Gibault, whose parish extended from Lake Superior to the Ohio, volunteered to go to Vincennes and win the inhabitants to the American cause.  After two days of persuasion, the entire settlement gathered in Father Gibault's church and took the oath of allegiance to America. 

Thus without firing a shot or shedding blood, the Illinois and Wabash territory was won for the future United States of America.  British sovereignty on the Mississippi never recovered and in 1778, Virginia took steps to organize the new country into the county of Illinois - which included "all territories lying on the western side of the Ohio."

Meanwhile back on the British side - Lt. Governor Hamilton decided that George Rogers Clark was just a "upstart Kentuckian" and the posts and Clark needed to be recaptured for the British.  He sent troops to the Wabash settlement (Vincennes) to stir up the Indians.  Back in Detroit, he prepared for war...and waited on reinforcements that never came.  Nevertheless, in October, a band of 35 British regulars, 45 local volunteers, 79 local militia and 60 Indians set out for Vincennes.  A blinding snowstorm near Lake Erie almost destroyed the mission but they reached the Maumee which was deep and difficult to travel.  Once they reached the Wabash they found such shallow water that they had to construct dikes to be able to maneuver the river.  If wasn't until a few days before Christmas that they finally reached Vincennes.

The capture of Vincennes was easy enough, the surrender all done in military style and the flag of King George once more flew over the settlement.  The inhabitants seemed used to the transfer of power and accepted the British as easy as they had the Americans, gathering once again in Father Gibault's church to pledge they had "sinned against God and man" by siding with the rebels and promised to be loyal to King George forevermore.

Next time....Clark defends the new territory
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Today in Pioneer History: "On February 21, 1828, the first printing press designed to use the new Cherokee alphabet invented by Sequoyah, arrives in New Echota, Georgia.  The Cherokee Nation had purchased the press with the goal of producing a Cherokee language newspaper.