John Dodge - Narrative of Mr. John Dodge during his Captivity at Detroit

– now it was an impossibillity for those nation that sent him word that theay would not misleit him to get word in that Short Space of time which the general thought Proper to Set much more Come in – now what Can we Expect But to have them all against us if thare is not Some Spedy rimedy – I Cannot Say what opinion your honours may have of the Saveges But I Can asure you that theay are very numerous thair numbers are not known that thare has not one out of a hundred taken up the hachet against us yet But we Cannot But Expect theay will if there is not Proper Steps taken and that Spedily – we will Supose that the Proper Steps are for us to march threw thair Contry and take Detroit which is Esily Done if matters ware Conducted as theay ought to Be – and By having that in our Possession and the lakes it will Be in our Power to forse all those near nations to Come upon our terms and that will Enduce all the farrons ones to Be upon aliance with us and then we Shall have all the trade of that Extensive Contry Quite from the north west hutsons Bay lake Superier the heads of the macceippia which will make our Contry florish – But we will Say the Publick has Ben at grate Expence for two years Past and we are no nearer now than we was when we fust Set out But what is the reason it is Because thare was Peopel Sent that Knew nothing of the mater the general told me that he was Brought up by the (sic) Sea Shore and that he knew nothing abought Pack horseing in this wooden Contry – I Dont take it upon me to Dictate or Sensure no one But I think that ought to Be Enquired into Before thare was thousands Spent But now it is to recall the horses and Bollocks are Dead the Provisions is Eat the men must have thair Pay it is Sunk lost gone and here we are Still going on in the Same way the general has likewise got the ill will of all his officers the melitia in Protickaler which I am very sorry for as theay are the only Peopel that we have to Depend upon to Do any thing in this Deartment – now if thare was not any one that knew how matters Should have Ben Conducted it would have Ben a meteriel Diference – But thare is a gentlemon of an unblemisht Carrecter who has Singulied himself By leaveing Every thing that was near and Dear to him and Come in to this Quarter of the Contry Prepared Proper talks for the Saveges and as he was grately respected By all those who knew him it had its Entended Effect and I Can asure your honnours that it has Ben the Saving of hundreads of lives and I Can further asure you By various Surcomstances and Credible Intilegence that if he had not have Come and Did what he Did that thare would not have remaind one family this Side alagane mountains – he is Still Striveing to keep them from falling upon us But as here is others here Strieveing to Set them up it will Be a very Difecult matter for him to Do it he has Sent for the Cheifs of the nations to Come in and that thare is Still mercy for them if theay will know thair Duty and as his Enfluence is grate with all those nations who know him I am in hope it will have its Effect But I Should not Be Disapointed if theay Did not after receiveing Such threts as theay have he has like wise at his own Privat Expence hired men and Sent threw the hole Contry abought Detroit and this side found out the Situation of it and when I was Prisener with the British I have heard them often make remarks that if he Did not Come against that we had not another man in our Parts that knew the Situation of the Contry and had the Enfluence with the natives as he had – But whatever knoledge he may have Concarning those matters he has not never had the offer of ordering of them But in Stead of that he has Ben Put under an arest By the fals raports of a Poor Ignorant Set of Peopel which is to the Eternal Shame of our Contry after he had Savd them from Being masacereed By the Saveges that was his reward – now I beg that your Honnours will take it into Consideration and order some Spedy arangement Before this Quarter of the Contry is ruined a house Devided against it Self Cannot Stand and your honnours may rely upon it that is the case here if I have taken to much liberty I Beg your honnours will loock over it as I would not wish to Do more than My Duty – form your most obedientand humble Servant – John Dodge —

upon Colo. Morgans arival here he Sent an Express to the Endian nations for them to Come in and thare has two runners jest arived here with Speaches of grate Concequence which I suppose he will acquaint Congress with the Eairliest oppertunity —

( in pencil )

Specimen of the Literati of '76 – !

( Indorsement )

Letter from John Dodge

Pittsburg 25 Jany 1779

Read Feby. 17th. —

Referred to the board of war —

This letter or statement was not received by Congress till December 13, 1781, nearly two years later, and the committee to which it was referred, reported adversely to the suggestions contained in it, March 20, 1782.

Early in 1779, Lieutenant Governor Henry Hamilton was captured by General George Rogers Clark at Vincennes and was carried to Williamsburg, Virginia, as a prisoner of war. The letters and Narrative of Dodge had been read by some members of the Council of Virginia and the Council resolved, June 16, 1779, that because of the cruelties inflicted by Great Britain on the American prisoners of war, it was proper to begin a system of retaliation, and they conclude their resolution as follows: – "this board has resolved to advise the governor that the said Henry Hamilton, Philip Dejean and William LaMothe, prisoners of war, be put in irons, confined in the dungeon of the public jail, debarred the use of pen, ink and paper and excluded all converse except with their keeper, and the governor orders accordingly." The charges preferred by Dodge against Hamilton, were urged as an additional reason for confining the latter in jail. Hamilton answered that the statements of Dodge were mutual, and that the latter was "an unprincipled and perjured renegade." 9 9 Michigan Historical Society Collections , 9, 512.

Hamilton's excuses were not well received, and although no longer confined in irons, he remained in prison for some time, but was finally released and subsequently returned to Canada as Lieutenant Governor of the province.

Dodge was appointed Indian Agent by Virginia and was located in Kaskaskia from 1780 to 1788 and possibly until a later date. 10 10 Fergus Historical Series , number 31, page 62. See also number 33, pages 159, 182, 183, 209; also Calendar of Virginia State Papers , 1, 367.

When claims of the Revolutionary soldiers to the western lands were being considered Dodge laid claim to a section, as a refugee from Canada 11 11 American State Papers , Public Lands , Volume 1, (Gales and Seaton), 106, 110. A letter from John Rice Jones on file in the Interior Department, dated January 18, 1800, states that Dodge and his wife were both dead. and his heirs were awarded a tract containing 1280 acres in the year 1800. This indicates that Dodge died before May 8th of that year. Four patents were issued to the heirs of John Dodge for lands in town sixteen, range twenty, Ohio, July 12, 1802.

Henry L. Caldwell, a grandson of Israel Dodge, wrote as follows: – "I do not know the date of the death of Colonel John Dodge, neither can I locate his grave or that of my grandfather, Israel Dodge, but the remains of both are, beyond doubt, resting in the old grave yard in Ste. Genevieve, Mo., which adjoins the catholic grave yard." 12 12 Letter from Henry L. Caldwell to Louise M. Dalton, Missouri Historical Society, dated December 4, 1906. Mr. Caldwell died April 11, 1907, a very old man. Miss Dalton was secretary of the Missouri Historical Society and died in June of the same year.

John Dodge, while living at Kaskaskia, held a commission of Colonel received from Governor Patrick Henry of Virginia. His brother Israel Dodge was a lieutenant under him at that place. Israel had married Ann Hunter at Carlisle, Pa., before he moved to the West, and at Vincennes, their son Henry, who afterwards became the first Governor of the Territory of Wisconsin, was born October 12, 1782. He was named after Moses Henry, who was in the fort at Vincennes when it was captured by Governor Hamilton in 1778, being the only private in the "Army" which held out against the British invader.

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