The Fort Dearborn Massacre: Written in 1814 by Lieutenant Linai T. Helm, One of the Survivors, with Letters and Narratives of Contemporary Interest — John Shaqi
The Fort Dearborn Massacre: Written in 1814 by Lieutenant Linai T. Helm, One of the Survivors, with Letters and Narratives of Contemporary InterestHelm, Linai T. (Linai Taliaferro)
History
The Fort Dearborn Massacre: Written in 1814 by Lieutenant Linai T. Helm, One of the Survivors, with Letters and Narratives of Contemporary Interest
Helm, Linai T. (Linai Taliaferro)
Fort Dearborn Massacre, Chicago, Ill., 1812; Massacre survivors -- Illinois -- Chicago
His anxiety for his family at length became so great that he followed
them to Detroit, where he was paroled by General Proctor in January.
At the surrender of Detroit, which took place the day before the
massacre at Chicago, General Hull had stipulated that the inhabitants
should be permitted to remain undisturbed in their homes. Accordingly,
the family of Mr. Kinzie took up their residence among their friends in
the old mansion which many will recollect as standing on the northwest
corner of Jefferson Avenue and Wayne Street, Detroit.
Feelings of indignation and sympathy were constantly aroused in the
hearts of the citizens during the winter that ensued. They were almost
daily called upon to witness the cruelties practiced upon American
prisoners brought in by their Indian captors. Those who could scarcely
drag their wounded, bleeding feet over the frozen ground were compelled
to dance for the amusement of the savages; and these exhibitions
sometimes took place before the Government House, the residence of
Colonel McKee. Sometimes British officers looked on from their windows
at these heart-rending performances. For the honor of humanity, we will
hope such instances were rare.
Everything available among the effects of the citizens was offered to
ransom their countrymen from the hands of these inhuman beings. The
prisoners brought in from the River Raisin--those unfortunate men who
were permitted, after their surrender to General Proctor, to be tortured
and murdered by inches by his savage allies--excited the sympathy and
called for the action of the whole community. Private houses were
turned into hospitals, and every one was forward to get possession of as
many as possible of the survivors. To accomplish this, even articles of
apparel were bartered by the ladies of Detroit, as from doors or windows
they watched the miserable victims carried about for sale.
In the dwelling of Mr. Kinzie one large room was devoted to the
reception of the sufferers. Few of them survived. Among those spoken of
as arousing the deepest interest were two young gentlemen of Kentucky,
brothers, both severely wounded, and their wounds aggravated to a mortal
degree by subsequent ill usage and hardships. Their solicitude for each
other, and their exhibition in various ways of the most tender fraternal
affection, created an impression never to be forgotten.
The last bargain made by the Kinzies was effected by black Jim and one
of the children, who had permission to redeem a negro servant of the
gallant Colonel Allen with an old white horse, the only available
article that remained among their possessions. A brother of Colonel
Allen's afterwards came to Detroit, and the negro preferred returning
to servitude rather than remaining a stranger in a strange land.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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