Battle+of+Vincennes

[|George Rogers Clark]- Clark was a soldier from Virginia. He was the highest ranking military officer in the northwestern frontier. Clark lead the Kentucky Militia throughout the revolutionary war. His major battles that he won were [|Kaskakia and Vincennes], which is now [|modern day Illinois]. The British really wanted to control this territory, and this really helped weaken the British strong hold on the Northwest Territory. Clark commissioned a major [|William Bailey Smith] to help him with the campaign. Bailey was given 150 dollars to go recruit men in the [|Holston River Valley].

[|Henry Hamilton]-[| Henry Hamilton] was an Irish born Soldier and officer of the [|British Army]. Hamilton was captured at Vincennes by Clark. He was the lieutenant Governor at the British post of[| Fort Detroit]. Hamilton was taken by surprise by Clark at fort sack ville. Hamilton returned to Canada and became the lieutenant Governor and then served as the [|governor of Bermuda].

Clark lead an [|attack] against the British strong hold of Fort Sackville. Clark had asked for money from the [|Virginia Assembly] to assemble a militia. He wanted to attack the British in Detriot, Kaskaskia, and Vincennes. The assembly granted the money to Clark, and then he assembled a militia of forty seven men.Clark then went to [|Kaskaskia]and took over the fort with out firing a shot. He then sent [|Father Gibault]to Vincennes to tell the people there to pledge allegiance to the colonies. The people of [|Vincennes] then betrayed the British. When Henry Hamilton got wind of this, he brought an army of 400 Indians, thirty British troops and fifty french volunteers. 

Clark and an army of 127 men, most of which were French militia from Kaskaskia. Clark lead his men across what is now known as Illinois. While Clark and his men marched 180 miles across land, forty men went in a armed row-galley.Which was supposed to be stationed at Wabash river, below Vincennes to block off the British escape.The winter was not to cold, but it rained a lot. There was said to have been inches of water on the ground. Provisions were carried on pack horses, but were also supplemented with wild game.Clark and his men reached the[| Little Wabash River] on February 13, 1779. the river was flooded, making it five miles wide. They had to build a large canoe to shuttle the men back and forth.

The army was now within three miles of the fort. They took a British soldier prisoner who told them everything about the fort. Clark designed a plan so that it appeared that their were thousands of soldiers instead of 47. He sent a group of soldiers to begin firing on the fort. The 400 Indians in the fort fled for safety, because they thought that there were thousands of men storming the fort. Hamilton did not know that their was a battle going on until there one of his men was wounded when a bullet came through his window. After the Indians left, there was only 150 British left in the fort.At nine in the morning on February 24, Clark sent a messenger to the fort demanding their surrender. Hamilton declined, and then the firing continued. Hamilton then sent out his prisoner Captain helm, to offer terms. Clark told him to demand a unconditional surrender in thirty minutes. If the British did not surrender then they would storm the fort. Hamilton then offered a three day truce. This was rejected and agreed to meet at the village church. Prior to meeting at the church, the most controversial thing happened in Clark's career. Unaware that Clark had taken Vincennes, a french, and Indian war party came into town. there was a skirmish and Clark captured six men. Two of them were released because they were french and the villagers requested that they be released. The four Indians captured were sat down facing the fort, and then they were tomahawked to death. Then the bodies were scalped and thrown in the river to make an example out of them. ====At the church, Clark met with Hamilton and signed [|terms of surrender]. At 10:00 a.m. on 25 February, Hamilton's army 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, and 18 other prisoners to [|Williamsburg]. All of the French Canadians who had aided Hamilton were [|paroled] after taking an oath of neutrality. ====

media type="youtube" key="ZwlddtgR7rE" height="315" width="560"