Show julya m a T by ELMO SCOTT WATSON ULY 4 1778 the sun has gone down behind the missouri hills across the mississippi sis sippi river from the lit tie french town of ka kaskla in what Is now the state of illinois and the soft evening light Is spreading over the low rambling bouses and the orchard and garden a from the belfry of the little stone church in the center of the a sweet donad bell rings to ves pers dark settles down and in a lit tie while lights begin to twinkle in the windows A scene of peace in strange contrast to the warlike sounds which are soon to shatter the stillness when that little army which now lies in the timber that lines the bluffs above kas basua shall sweep down upon the village and ral the dreaded war cry of the long knives of kentucky for stirring events are about to take place in this sleepy little town events which in the light of the century and a halt that have intervened we now realize were history making but let the leader of the invaders tell bis own story as he does in the booi the capture of old vincennes the original narratives of george rogers dark and of ills opponent GOT henry hamilton edited by allo M quaife and published recently by the bobbs merrall company in the tol lowing words on the evening of july fourth we arrived within a few miles of the town where we threw out some scouts in advance and lay until nearly dark we then resumed our march and took possession of a house on the bank of the kaskaskia Kas kaskla river about three quarters 0 a mile above the town occupied by a large family we learned from the inmates that the people had been under arms a few day before but had concluded the alarm to be groundless and at present all was quiet and that there was a large number of meo in town although the indians were for the most part absent W obtained from th man boats enough to convey us across the river where I 1 formed my force in three divisions I 1 felt conal dent the inhabitants could not now obtain knowledge of our approach in alm to enable them to make any resistance si aty object was now to get of the place with as little contusion as possible but to have it it necessary at the loss of the whole town I 1 did not entirely credit the information given us at the house as the man seemed to contradict himself informing us among other things that a noise we heard in the town was caused by the negroes at a dance 1 set out for the fort with one division ordering the other two to proceed to different quarters of the town if I 1 met with no resistance at a certain signal a general shout waa to be given and a certain part of the town was to be seized immediately while men from each detachment who were able to talk french were to run through the streets proclaiming what had happened and informing the townsmen to remain in their houses on pain of being shot down these arrangements produced the desired effect and within a ery short time we were in complete possession of the place with every avenue guarded to prevent any one from escaping and giving the alarm to the other villages various orders not worth mentioning had been issued tor the guidance of the men in the event of opposition greater silence I 1 suppose never reigned among the inhabitants of a town than in kaskaskia Kas kaskla at this juncture not a person was to be seen or a word to be heard from them for some time meanwhile our troops purposely kept up the greatest possible throughout every quarter of the town while patrols moved around it continually throughout the night as it was a capital object to intercept any mes that might be sent out in about two hours all the inhabitants were als armed and informed that any one who should be taken while attempting to all pictures from the capture of old vincennes courtesy bobbs mer rill company escape from the place would immediately be put to death mr was ae cured but tome time elapsed before he could get out ot bla room I 1 suppose he delayed to tell his wife what disposition to make 0 hl public papers but a few of which were secured by us in this matter of fact manner does george chark tell the story of the events of that independence day tar out on the fringe of the western wll berness der ness if he recognized the appropriateness of the occasion there Is no indication of it in bis writing it Is doubtful it he did however for the significance of that red letter day in american history was not yet alpar ent to the men who had the most to do with putting it in our calendar american independence from the mother country had been declared only two years and it was yet a question whether the revolution would succeed or fall neither could he foresee wha lay before him his easy capture of ca bockla and vincennes Vincen nep the loss of the latter place to calr buyer hamilton the governor of detroit the terrible march which be was to lead across the drowned lands the next year to recapture vincennes the dl plo macy the tact the boldness the daring and the master skill which be must employ to win the french inhabitants of the illinois country from their sworn allegiance to the british flag and to overawe the indian tribes so that his slender force could bold the country which they had conquered least of all could he foresee the mighty consequences of his ambitious plans and the sufferings which be and bis men were to be called upon to en dure before he bad accomplished bis designs we can look back now and see that had it not been for george rogers dark the western boundary of the new republic at the cloe of the revolution would most allely have been the and the great states of wisconsin michigan illinois indiana ohio and kentucky to say nothing of the whole vast territory west of the mississippi might not now be a part of the united states for it Is not venturing too wild a guess to declare that bad darks at dempt to capture kaskaskia Kas kaskla that in dependence day a hundred and baty years ago by some chance resulted in failure instead of success the whole course of american history might have been it is often upon such slender threads as this that the des uny of nations hangs in view of the importance of darks conquest ot the biltl posts in the west it would be natural to suppose that a grateful na s alon would have enshrined hla memory aa one of her greatest herdea instead it has been a matter of shame to historians who have recognized the full indebtedness of the united stated to this great virginian that our nation allowed him to die in poverty and neg lect elect his last years embittered by the ingratitude of a republic which for gets recently however some recompense tardy though it Is has been made for the many years of neglected honor to the name and fame of george rogen clark last year the first organized tribute of the old northwest to the man who made it a part of the united states was offered in a pilgrimage made by a large number of of the sax states to bis birthplace at charlottesville va on november 19 the one hundredth tn seventy fifth annl of bis birth further honors to the memory of clark were also projected daring the sessions of congress this year in the introduction of various bills one wa to authorize the of george rogers clark memorial lighthouse on the ohio river near louisville ky another provided for the construction of a memorial on the site of fort gage in randolph county illinois but most important of all was the recent passage of a bill providing an appropriation of for the construction of a historical museum on the the site of fort it vincennes ind and the participation of the federal government in the dark celebration to be held there next year this celebration which will open next february on the one hundredth and fiftieth anniversary niver sary of the capture of fort sack valle by clark will be the most impressive gesture of honoring the of the old northwest that haa yet been made initiated by the people of that section the whole nation will be invited to participate because it Is the whole nation which owes a debt of gratitude to clark the celebration will have a special significance since it will also mark the one hundredth and fiftieth anniversary of the first time the stars and were raised over that section of the country for when the british flag was hauled down from over fort jacl valle after hamiltons surrender of the tort it was the new flag of the new nation one of the several stands of colors which the french inhabitants had presented to charba men and tb volunteers who accompanied them on their expedition against via cennus which was run up in its some historians have stated that clark first unfurled the stars and stripes on the soil of illinois before retting out tor Kask asUa but dark narrative in the book quoted above makes no mention of this fact and it la probable that and not Kaskas Lla first had a sight of old glory it would have been a final touch 01 patriotic appropriateness it the stars and stripes had been displayed on july 4 1778 but even though it wa not the events of that day were significant ant enough and on independence day this year when americans are remembering mem bering the men on the atlantic seaboard who on july 4 1776 signed the declaration of independence they should also remember the little groop of who helped that declaration good by their daring and the privations they endured un der the leadership of george kobera clark |