Virginia Argus

INDIAN HOSTILITIES.

A copy of a Letter from Samuel Goode Hopkins, esq. to his Excellency Charles Scott, dated Town of Henderson, (K.) May 9th, 1812.

MY DEAR GENERAL,

The vicinity of my residence to the unpleasant scenes every day occurring in the Indiana territory, enables me to sketch a faint gleam of its disagreeable and alarming situation.

This day two weeks, I recounted the particulars of the murder of Old Mr. Meeks, in the attack made on his family by the Indians. Since that period, constant accounts have been coming to us, by the fugitive inhabitants of the territory announcing some new insolence or outrage; the whole opposite country is in a state of consternation; its inhabitants are hourly flocking over to our shore—abandoning, at this important season of the year, their crops and property to utter destruction. They present us a state of dismay & suffering that would excite the sympathy of the most obdurate.

Many, availing themselves of stronger settlements, are erecting block-houses, and determined in them to brave all the fury of the impending storm.

A great portion of the country is too thinly populated to admit even of this advantage; such sections have sought refuge with us—during the last week I had fully twenty applications to rent land for the present year's cultivation.

Many families have gone quite back to the states from whence they originally emigrated.

Unless an immediate check is put to this alarm, the extent of the injuries both to the individuals and the government will be immense.

The 4th regiment of infantry is ordered to Detroit. Governor Harrison is left in Vincennes, with a force composed of men, women, and children, to the number of two or three hundred. With these, good reasons exist to authorize a belief that he will soon have to encounter Tecumseh at the head of two thousand Indians. The known address, talents, and prowess, of this inveterate enemy to our people, will doubtless insure him the utmost success in collecting forces to serve his purposes. He is evidently the instigator of the murders and hostility of the Indians on the Mississippi.

Mrs. Harrison and the defenceless members of the Governor's family arrived here by water last evening. They were accompanied by the sick and wounded of the 4th regiment, whose disabilities would not admit of their accompanying the regiment on their march by land.

The Governor, disdaining a retreat as long as the semblance of defence is left him, is busily engaged in fortifying his house, and exhorting the inhabitants to use their efforts to protect themselves and property. Having long lived his neighbor, I well know the worth of this invaluable man—I am happy to find, in the hour of peril, that even those whose constant exertions have incessantly been to defame and injure him are willing to look to him as their shield—indeed, were he to abandon the territory, I verily believe nine tenths of the inhabitants would follow. I hope another battle will terminate in the total discomfiture of these savage assassins.

The contemplation is truly painful, very shocking to humanity: but I greatly fear so long as G. Britain, by her possessions on our continent and her bribes and largesses, retains the means of controlling the conduct of the whole of the Lake Indians, nothing less than extirpation will permanently tranquillise our frontier.

Having accepted a captaincy of light dragoons in the army of the United States, being required by the Secretary at War to make arrangements for immediate service, and constrained to go to Lexington to do so, I am prevented from attempting to organize a volunteer corps to aid the Governor. With your permission, I will order a detachment from this regiment, the command of which devolves on me in the absence of the Colonel, and which I have detained for the special purpose, to be in readiness to march at the first alarm. Be so kind as to signify your wishes on this subject as soon as convenient, and they shall be obeyed.

We are deeply interested, on our vicinity, in the success of the territorial war. The Ohio is our only barrier against the same ruthless invasion that it is now sustaining.

I have commenced writing since the arrival of the mail. It is just closing I beg you to accept my best respects and believe me most sincerely your friend.

SAMUEL GOODE HOPKINS