Recent Documentary Acquisitions to the Historical Society Library relating to Howard H. Peckham* Source material on Fort Wayne (the fort, not the city) has never been plentiful or even satisfactory. There- fore, the Indiana Historical Society Library was happy to acquire a series of fourteen letters, two documents, and four garrison returns in the early period of 1799-1814. These letters and documents, all written at Fort Wayne, were sent to Colonel Jacob Kingsbury (died 1837) , a Revolutionary War officer from Connecticut who had continued in service in the Army. He was a lieutenant in the First Infantry Regiment in 1789 and rose to be colonel of the regiment in 1808. Kingsbury commanded Fort Mackin- nac in 1804 and was sent the next year to the mouth of the Missouri River to establish Fort Belle Fontaine. He was in in 1810 and 1811. In 1812 he went on sick leave to Connecticut and after the war broke out was on duty at Newport, Rhode Island, where his officers addressed him. He retired from the army in 181Ei1 The letters and documents, by date and author, are as follows : 1799 June 13, Colonel John F. Hamtramck, order signed, 1 P. 1799 June 14, Hamtramck to Jacob Kingsbury, ALS,* 2 P. 1800 July 27, J. B. Laplant, receipts signed, 1 p. 1810 March 5, Captain Nathan Heald to Kingsbury, ALS, 1 p. 3 810 March 22, Captain John Whistler to Kingsbury, ALS, 1 p. 1810 May 17, Captain James Rhea to Kingsbury, ALS, 2 P. 1810 August 11, Rhea to Kingsbury, ALS, 1 p.

*Howard H. Peckham is the secretary of the Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis, Indiana. 1 Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register of the United States Amy (Washington, 1890), 390; M. M. Quaife, and the Old Northwest (Chicago, 1913), 154-155. 2 Autograph letter signed. 410 Indiana Magazine of History

1810 September 6, Rhea to Kingsbury, ALS, 2 p. 1811 March 2, John Johnston to Kingsbury, ALS, 2 p. 1811 March 31, Rhea to Kingsbury, ALS, 1 p. 1811 June 1, Rhea to Kingsbury, ALS 1 p. 1811 June 4, Rhea to Kingsbury, ALS, 2 p. 1811 November 3, Rhea to Kingsbury, ALS, 3 p. 1812 September 21, Ensign Daniel Curtis to Kingsbury, ALS, 11 p. 1814 November 1, Whistler to Kingsbury, ALS, 2 p. 1814 December 2, Whistler to Kingsbury, ALS, 1 p. The garrison returns are dated: 1810 January 31, Captain Heald’s company. 1810 March 31, Captain Heald’s company. 1814 October 31, Major Whistler’s company and militia. 1814 November 30, Major Whistler’s company and mili- tia. The long letter from Ensign Daniel Curtis is an eye- witness account of the siege of Fort Wayne. It is of so much interest that it is printed below. Ensign Curtis also wrote an account of the siege to a friend named James Cullen C. Witherell on October 4. This letter was printed in Charles E. Slocum, History of the Maumee River Basin (Defiance, , 1905), 277-279, and has formed the chief basis of our knowledge of what went on between the fort and the Indians during the four weeks’ siege.3 The new letter, written Sep- tember 21, tells almost the same story and is obviously the original from which the later one was prepared. There are slight variations in spelling and punctuation in the letter

3The letter was also rinted a year later in Friend Palmer, EuTZ~ Dugs in Detroit (Detroit, hichigan, 1906), 880-885. There the recipient is identified as “Cullen Colburn Witherell, uncle of Senator Thomas W. Palmer. To have been the uncle of Senator Palmer, he would have to have been the brother of Mary Amy Witherell Palmer (the mother of the senator) and the son of James Witherell (1759-1838), judge of the Supreme Court of Territory, 1808-1828. The eldest son of the judge is listed as James C. C. Witherell, born in in 1791. After attending Middlebury College, he moved with the family to Detroit and served with his father as a volunteer officer in 1812. Both men had to surrender with General Hull and were sent to Kingston, Ontario, where they were released on parole. They went to Vermont, where James C. C. died in 1813. Silas Farmer, The Historg of Detroit and Michigan (2 vols., Detroit, Michigan, 1889 11, 1133. The letter from Curtis, which he may never have seen, evidl ently was kept by his sister, but it is not among the Palmer family papers or the Witherell papers in the Burton Historical Collection, Detroit. A copy of Curtis’ letter to Kingsbury, September 21, 1812, exists in Kingsbury’s letter book, 1812- 1813, No. 121, in the Burton Historical Collection. Fort Wayne (The Fort) 411 to Witherell but too much cannot be made of this difference because Slocum evidently used a free hand in editing the letter. One curious change, which either Curtis or Slocum made, is the substitution of the word “Aborigines” for “Indians”’ in many places. Additions in the letter to Witherell are indicated where they occur in the letter to Kingsbury below. One paragraph in the Witherell letter is new and was substituted for another paragraph in the Kingsbury letter. Finally, the latter is slightly longer than the former. I have not been able to locate the original manu- script of the letter to Witherell, if it still exists, so Indiana is the richer for having the letter to Kingsbury in safe custody. The writer, Daniel Curtis, was born in New Hampshire but was commissioned in the army from Michigan. He was made an ensign in the First Infantry Regiment on January 3, 1812, and was sent to Fort Wayne in June. At the end of the year he was promoted to second lieutenant and was made a first lieutenant in 1814 and a captain in 1820. For some reason he was dismissed from the army in 1821, was reinstated the next year, and dismissed finally in 1823. Most of his military service was spent at Fort Wayne, and for a few weeks in 1817 he was acting commandant.‘ He married Eliza, daughter of Major John Whistler, the builder and first commandant of , 1803-1810, and commandant of Fort Wayne, 1814-1816. War was declared by the United States on Great Britain, June 18, 1812. News of it was received at Detroit on July 9. Fort Mackinac was not informed before it was attacked by the British and captured on July 17. General , commanding the Army of the Northwest, opened a brave offensive by invading Canada from Detroit and then hesitated. He felt that Fort Dearborn (Chicago) was at the mercy of the English or their Indian allies and decided that it should be evacuated. Accordingly he wrote to the commandant, Captain Nathan Heald, on July 29, ordering him to give up the post and retire to Detroit. At the same time he wrote to the commandant of Fort Wayne, Captain James Rhea, advising him of this decision. The resulting

4 Heitman, Historical Register of the , 214; Bert J. Griswold, Fort Wayne, Gateway of the West, 1802-1819, in Indiana Historical Collections (Indianapolis, Indiana, 1916- ) , XV (1927), 36011. 412 Indiana Magazine of History actions are well known. The garrison of Fort Dearborn was attacked right after it left the fort, on August 15, and more than half of the party was massacred. Meanwhile, General Hull had abandoned Canada and surrendered Detroit without a fight on August 16. The then laid siege to Fort Wayne, which was relieved only by the arrival of troops under General on Sep- tember 12. This is the background for Ensign Curtis’ letter.

Fort Wayne Septr. 21st 1812. Hond. Sir, As our difficulties have in some measure subsided, and as I have been so fortunate as to survive the siege, it affords me the highest satisfaction to have it in my power to communicate to you some, among many, of the most important occurrences since my arrival at this place. I arrived here on the 5th June last,5 and was, and still continue to be highly pleased with the place and my situation, except, perhaps I might have been better suited with a little more active employment than I have had till about twenty days past. Nothing worthy of notice has transpired since my arrival here till the 7th Ulto. on which our Capt:6 received a note from Genl. Hull stating that Fort Dearborn was to be evacuated and requesting him to communicate the same to Capt. Wells7 and Mr. Stickneys and for

6 “and killed two deer on the way” (Letter to Witherell). 6 James Rhea of New Jersey served in the militia in 1791 and was with General Anthony Wayne at Fallen Timbers in 1794. He was com- missioned an ensign in the Eleventh Infantry in 1799, and the next year was transferred to the First Infantry. In 1807 he was made a captain. He was serving at Detroit in 1810, when he was appointed commandant at Fort Wayne, succeeding Captain Nathan Heald. In July, 1812, he conducted the funeral service of Chief . He resigned from the army at the end of the year. Heitman, Histom’cal Register of the United States Army, 546; Griswold, Fort Wayne, Gateway of the West, in Indiana Historical Collections, XV, 302, 365. 7 William Wells was born in and stolen by the Miami as a boy. He married first Little Turtle’s sister and then his daughter and fought against Harmar and St. Clair. Changing sides, he fought with Wayne in 1794 and assisted him at the . He was appointed Indian agent at Fort Wayne in 1799 and was dismissed in 1809. He lost his life at Fort Dearborn in 1812. Griswold, Fo~t Wayne, Gateway of the West, in Indiana Historical Colbctions, XV, 19, 30-32. SBenjamin F. Stickney came from Upper Sandusky, Ohio, to suc- ceed John Johnston as Indian agent at Fort Wayne in 1811. He had married a daughter of John and Molly Stark of Revolutionary War fame. Stickney named his daughters after the states, and his three sons, One, Two, and Three. After the evacuation of Fort Wayne in 1819, he was transferred to Toledo, where he helped bring on the “Toledo War” with Michigan. Of the siege he wrote later: “The commanding officer was drunk nearly all the time, and the two lieutenants [Ostrander and Curtis] were inefficient men, entirely unfit to hold commissions of any grade.” His opinion is not borne out by the particulars of this letter. Ibid., 60; Slocum, Histow of the Maumee RiveT Basin, 281. Fort Wayne (The Fort) 413

them to point out the most expeditious and safe rout possible for Capt. Healdo to get to Detroit. The gentlemen were consulted on the subject, and concluded, that by way of this place would be a safe and no doubt as near a rout as could be taken from Chicago to Detroit, except by water, which was intercepted by British vessels then on the lakes. Ac- cordingly on the 8th Capt Wells, with a party of thirty five Indians10 and their pack horses and one man a private in our comy: with four of our pack horses, sat off for Chicago to assist Capt: Heald in the evacuation of that post. On the 19th one of the party that went with Capt: Wells returned, bringing intelligence that Capt: Heald and his compy: with Capt: Wells, were all killed on the morning of the 15th a short distance from the Fort, the particulars of which he thus related. When they arrived at Chicago” there were five hundred Indians en- camped near the garrison, of various tribes, some Puttawatamies, Chip- pewas, Winnebaagoes and some Kickapoos. The next day, which must have been on the 14th a council was called by Capts: Heald and Wells in which they used every exertion to persuade the Indians to let the troops depart in peace: they even agreed to give up all the military arsenal and magazine stores together with the cattle and other stock then there, to which they consented; and the next morning while the bloodthirsty savages were killing and dressing their beeves, the troops left the garrison, the officers marching in front, the baggage waggon next, the women and children next to it, after them the soldiers and the thirty five Indians with their pack horses bringing up the rear. They had not passed half a milel* from their little assylum, when looking back they discovered the approach of the enemy about four hundred in num- ber, with their tomahawks raised ready to give the fatal blow. A kind of hollow square was immidiately formed encompassing the women and children, and one round13 fired at the enemy, but being overpowered by numbers, the brave, the innocent fair, and the helpless, fell a prey to the savage crewilty of the tomahawk and scalping-knife. These are the facts as stated by the first Indian that returned after Capt. Wells left this for Chicago, but we have since been told by others, that Capt.

9 Nathan Heald (1775-1832) of New Hampshire was commissioned an ensign in 1799 and rose to the rank of captain in 1807. He com- manded Fort Wayne from 1807 to 1810, when he was transferred to the command of Fort Dearborn. With his wife, a niece of William Wells, he survived the massacre of the garrison although both were wounded. Promoted a major in August, 1812, he was honorably dis- charged in 1814 with a pension and died on his farm in Missouri. Heit- man, Historical Register of the United States Amy, 233; Griswold, Fort Waw, Gateway of ths West, in Indiana Historical Collections, XV, 249. 10 “Miami Indians” (Letter to Witherell). Wells was also accom- anied by Corporal Walter K. Jordan of the garrison. John D. Barn- tart, “A New Letter About the Massacre at Fort Dearborn,” in the Indiana Magazins of History (Bloomington, Indiana, 1905- ), XLI (1945), 189. 11 “on the 13th” (Letter to Witherell). 12 “one mile” (Letter to Witherell). 18 “two rounds” (Letter to Witherell). 414 Indiana Magazine of History

Heald and lady,14 Lt. Helms15 and wife, Mr. Kinzie16 and wife, and nineteen soldiers are made prisoners and sent to Detroit, from whence they are to be conveyed to Montreal.“ Thus ends the fate of Chicago;’s the success of this post, and the fate of its late, worthy and intrepid commander I now proceed to relate, and in some instances to particular- ize. The Indians since the news of Chicago, except some of the Miamies, have expressed and manifested a verry different conduct from anything hitherto observed in them. Several attempts have, within five weeks, been made to send expresses through to Detroit and other places, which have failed either by being killed or driven back by Indians. A Mr. S. Johnston19 in attempting to go through to Piqua, Ohio, on the evening of the 28th Ulto. and within half a mile from the garrison, was shot, tomahawked, scalped, stabbed in 23 places, and beaten and bruised in the most barbarous manner. The next day an Indian came within hearing of our centinels and hailed, he was answered by our interpreter and asked what he wanted? to which he replied, admittance into the garrison, and through consent of our capt: was ordered to come in. This was the first instance of an Indian hesitating or expressing any fear in approaching the garrison. His business was to request of our capt: a white flag, that some of the Chiefs might come and speak with him and the Indn. agent, a Mr. Stickney. The flag was given out and the chiefs came, but would not acknowledge that they knew anything on the subject of Mr. Johnston’s death, or who killed him. They requested the flag for the next day, but it was not returned for several days; during which time, they were constantly killing our hogs, driving away our cattle, robbing and plundering our cornfields and guardains and carrying away the effects of them within point blank musket shot of

14 “both wounded” (Letter to Witherell). 16Linai T. Helm (died 1838), of Virginia was commissioned an ensign in the First Infantry in 1807. He was made a second lieutenant the next year and became a captain in April, 1814. Then he resigned from the army in September. He was sent to Fort Dearborn from Detroit in 1811, where he married the .stepdaughter of John Kinzie. They were divorced in 1829. Heitman, Hzstorieal Register of the United States Army, 335; Quaife, Chicago and the Old Northwest, 276. l6 John Kinzie (1763-1828) was a trader on the Maumee until the , 1794. Then he moved to the St. Joseph River and thence to Chicago in 1804. He was treated as a kind of neutral in the massacre at Fort Dearborn and passed through it without harm, but his trade was ruined by the war. He, however, returned to Chicago in 1816, served as interpreter for awhile, and then resumed trading. Quaife, Chicago and the Old Northwest, passim. 17 “or , with other prisoney taken at the capitulation, which perhaps you know better than I do. (Letter to Witherell). Quaife says that out of fifty-five regulars, twelve militia, lus Wells and Kinzie’s family, twenty-six regulars, all the militia, Wefls, two women, and twelve children were killed. Zbid., 230. 18 “and its worthy commander” (Letter to Witherell). 19 Stephen Johnston, brother of John Johnston, had escorted the women from Fort Wayne to Piqua, Ohio, before the siege began. He was a clerk for Stickney. He was shot in company with two others on his way to Piqua to see his wife. His body was brought in by White Raccoon, a young chief. B. J. Griswold, Pictorial History of Fort Wayne (Fort Wayne, Indiana, 1917), 200, 202. Fort Wayne (The Fort) 415

us, and we poor soldiers, (from cowardise or some other agency in our Capt:) were obliged to suffer these repeated insults, to pass with impunity. On the evening of the 4th Instant the flag returned accom- panied by Winnernac,20 five Medals, the long days of June, Chappune [?I and two others, and when asked whether they intended to remain at peace with us or declare themselves in an open state of war fare? Winnemac being the principal chief among them, observed, “I dont know what to tell you, but you know that Mackinac is taken, Detroit is in the hands of the British,21 and you must expect to fall next, and probably in a few days.” Shortly after this, the Capt: invited Winnemac over to his quarters and after having drank three glasses of wine with him, rose from his seat, took the savage rascal by the hand and observed, to the astonishment of every one present, “my good friend I love you, I will fight for you, I will die by your side,”22 and then asked him to come and breakfast with him the next morning. Winnemac retired to his camp, but instead of accepting the invitation to breakfast the next morn- ing, sent five of his young warriours, who secreted themselves behind one of our root houses, and at six oclock A M, shot at and killed two of our men, as they were returning from the necessary near that place. This made an impression upon the mind of every one in the garrison which will not easily be forgotten. The impression, however, that it made on the mind of Capt : James Rhea commanding, or attempting to command, may be excepted to, for he was as drunk as a fool all night, and had not yet come to his perfect senses, if he ever had any. From the move- ment of the Indians during the day which we discouvered at a distance, Lt. Ostrander23 and myself expected some sport before the next morning, and we were not disappointed in our conjectures. Everything remained in perfect tranquility till about eight P M. when a general shout was heared from the Indians, succeeded by a firing of small arms on every side of us. The alarm post of every man, as well as the respective duties of Mr. Ostrander and myself having been mutually agreed upon in the course of the day, the enemy had not time to fire a second

20 (Ouenemek Wenameac, Wenameck, Winemac, Winne- meg, Wynemac, etc.) (died 1821), was a Potawatomi chief who was reported to have fough at the Battle of Tippecanoe, 1811. He then be- came friendly to the Americans and carried Hull’s orders to Heald early in August. He visited Washington several times. His village was near the present town of Winamac. Frederick W. Hodge (ed.), Hand- book of American Indians North of Mexico, Bulletin SO, Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology (2 parts, Washington, 1907-1910), part 2 (1910), 957. Five Medals was a Potawatomi chief associated with Little Turtle. His village was destroyed September 16, 1812. Griswold, Fort .Wayne, Gateway o the West, 43, 73; Slocum, Hzstorg of the Maumee Rzver Basin, 282, calf s him Chief Oxnose of Elk- hart River. 21 “and Chicago has fallen” (Letter to Witherell). 2*dccYoumust save me!’ and then gave him a half dollar as a token of friendship.” (Letter to Witherell). ZSPhilip Ostrander (died 1813) served as sergeant in the First Infantry before being commissioned in 1806. He became a second lieu- tenant in 1808 and a first lieutenant October 30, 1812. He was sent to Fort Wayne in 1807. Late in April, 1813, he was arrested there and died in confinement, July 30. Heitman, Historical Re ister of the United States Army, 601; Griswold, Fwt Wayte, Gateway o!the West, 258,390. 416 Indiana Magazine of History time, before we were prepared and opened two broadsides24 upon them at the same time. We exchanged three general shots, when I discouvered, from the flash of their guns, that they were secreted behind the build- ings, fences, and shrubberies at some distance, and I having command of the musketry below, ordered them to cease firing till further orders, thinking the enemy would conclud that we were frightened or that we were tenacious of ammunition, and would probably venture a little nearer. Mr. Ostrander having charge of the Block rooms, above, as soon as the Indians had collected more in a boddy, sent a few shells among them which caused them soon to disperse, and we presume, must have raked the shins of many. Scattering shots were received for the remainder of the night. They kept up a firing the next day from behind buildings, fences &c. till about three oclock P.M. in order, we presume, to disturb our rest, knowing that we had been all night on the alert. But when night25 came we were ready and active. And having heared, of old, “that caution is the mother of safty” we had the roofs of our buildings wet, also the pickets on the inside, our water casks all filled and every bucket and kettle arranged in the most con- venient places. We had no apprehensions of danger except by fire, which they might have sat to the pickets, by creeping up, of a dark night with a bundle of light combustibles invelloping fire, and got off again without being discouvered till it had taken. In order therefore, to prevent them from approaching undiscouvered, to the pickets, I suggested a plan which readily met the approbation of Mr. Ostrander and others in the garrison and immediately put it in opperation. I procured from the Factor’s Store, about thirty Bells of the size of a common half pt: tumbler, and collected a sufficient quantity of Bed cord and other ropes to reach round the garrison, on the outer side, about twelve feet from the pickets. The cord was stretched on crotches about ten inches from the ground, and the Bells suspended from it at convenient distances, so that anything touching the cord at any place round the works would cause the toll of at least two of Bells.26 The siege continued from the morning of the 5th till the morning of the 10th without cessation and the fears and troubles of our worthy commander continually drowned in the excessive use of ardent spirits.

24 “three broadsides” (Letter to Witherell). 15 “of the 6th” (Letter to Witherell). 26 The several lines about the bell business were omitted from the letter to Witherell. In their place, Curtis wrote: “Between 8 and 9 p. m. we heard a most tremendous noise, singing, dancing, and whooping and when they arrived within a pro er distance they hailed and asked us in plain English what we intendelto do whether surrender or fight? They said that they had 600 men with them and that they expected 700 more the next day, and that in three days’ time they would show us what they could do. We answered them that we were ready, and bade them come on; that we were determined to a man to fight till we should lose our lives before we would yield an inch to them, and then we gave them a general shout round the works in true Aborigine style which they instantly returned, commencin at the same time a enerai fire which was kept up on both sides wit% much warmth till atout 11 o’clock, without the loss or injury of a man on our side; but from appearance, they must have lost many as they were very quiet till towards night.” Fort Wayne (The Fort) 41‘7

He committed many abuses upon his subalterns and others, and was heard several times to exclaim “0 my money! if I had sent it with my poor wife it might have don her some good, but now it must be lost,” and at the moment when the most perfect order and silence were necessary to be obsirved, in order the better to hear and discouver the movement of the enemy without, he was the most troublesome and noysy within the garrison. Our apprehensions from the disorder and confusion he created among the men were our greatest fears; we had every thing prepared at one time during the siege, to silence his clamour and abuses by coersive measures, but fortunately for him (and perhaps for us) he was apprised by some of his friends, that something of that kind was in contemplation against him, which caused him (we presume) to conduct with a little more silence and circumspection; but observed, shortly afterwards, that if the Indians or British were to bring one or more pieces of cannon from Chicago even of three pound mettal, and plant them near the garrison, we should be obliged to surrender, and when told by his subalterns that the first man or person in the garrison who should offer or propose a surrender to the enemy, at the approach of no heavier mettal than three pounders, should loose his life, he offered no resentment, but remained silent on the subject. After the 10th we remained in tranquillity, but could see frequently large parties of Indians between that time and the 12th running across the river and the paries [prairies], and many of them without arms. We were at a loss to determine the cause of this singular movement, but concluded that they must have seen some movement of an army be- tween this and Piqua, as they were running from that quarter. About three oclock P M. of the 12th to our great joy we beheld the approach of an army of about three thousand men commanded by Genl. Harrison. You may rest assured sir, that we lost no time, after the Genl. had pitched upon and regulated his encampment, in making known to him the meritorious conduct of our intrepid Capt: The Genl. expressed great astonishment at the breach of confidence in that great man, and requested the particulars to be reduced to writing and presented to him in due form, which was soon done, and about 10 the next morning, the capt: had the honor and sublime pleasure of a visit from one of the Genl’s: Aids, requesting him to deliver up his long knife. Shortly afterwards the Genl. sent to us to know whether we would withdraw the arrest, in case the Capt: would resign,27 to which we consented, on consideration of his having been a long time in the service, and more particularly on account of his young family. His resignation was sent in, to take effect on the 31st of Decr. next and he left this on the 14th for the state of Ohio28 where he had, some weeks previously, sent his wife and family. The army is to leave this in a few days to descend the Miami to Defyance where they are to fortify and then procede to the foot of rappids, there to be joined by the Penn- sylvanians and Virginians making an army in all of about 10,000, a

27“We at first declined, but on further request of the General, we consented.” (Letter to Witherell). 28Letter to Witherell ends here, except for a closing line. The reference to Lieutenant Whistler that follows was inserted earlier UI the letter to Witherell. 418 Indiana Magazine of History part of which, it is supposed will visit Detroit and Malden this season, Genl. Harrison ranks high in this army, and it is even said that a Washington was never more popular in camp than this young Genl. Since my appointment in the army I have never had occation till now, of making any communications to my superiors in that establish- ment; you will therefore have the goodness to excuse any liberties I may [have] taken in this, and at all events pardon me in the profusion with which I am guilty in the unlimited use of paper. I omitted in its proper place to tell you that Lt: Whistler29 has not witnessed any of the scenes at this place since the 15th of July last, being on furlough or permission to Detroit after his wife who was there on a visit. He was to have returned at muster, but we have heared nothing of him personally since. My best respects to Madam Kingsbury, James, Julia & Cushing. With a due sense of your goodness Sir, I subscribe myself Your Obt: & verry Humble Servt. D. Curtis Col. J. Kingsbury commdg : Newport, Rhode Island

29 William Whistler (died 1863), son of Major John Whistler, was commissioned a second lieutenant in the First Infantry in 1801. The next year he married and in 1803 was assigned to Fort Dearborn under his father. While on leave in Detroit he was captured along with his father in Hull’s surrender. Whistler was promoted to captain at the end of 1812 and became colonel of the Fourth Infantry in 1845. He retired from the army in 1861. Heitman, Historical Register of the United States Army, 689; Quaife, Chicago and the Old Northwest, 168- 169.