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FORT HARRISON IN 1812
FORT HARRISON
ON THE BANKS OF THE WABASH
1812-1912
Published at the Direction of the
FORT HARRISON CENTENNIAL
ASSOCIATION
Compiled and Edited by the Historical Committee
DR. J. T. SCOVELL
, CHAIRMAN;MRS. ALICE P. DRYER
,MAX EHRMANN
,JOHN D. BELL
,JAMES B. HARRIS
,EDWARD GILBERT
,JOHN C. WARREN
,WILLIAM H. WILEY
,DR. E. T. SPOTSWOOD
,PROF. HERBERT BRIGGS
,C. T. JEWETT
COPYRIGHT 1912
JOHN MORTON CHAPTER, SONS OF THE
AMERICAN
REVOLUTION
THE MOORE-LANGEN PRINTING CO., TERRE HAUTE, IND.
page: [3][View Page [3]]TO the descendants of the men and women who participated in the Battle of Fort Harrison and of the pioneers who made possible the peaceful settlement of the Wabash Valley this work is offered as a patriotic tribute.
page: [4][View Page [4]] page: 5[View Page 5]INTRODUCTION
Four hundred years ago North America was a panorama of Nature. All the geological and geographical forms were represented in generous proportions. Mountains and plains, forests and prairies, great lakes and mighty rivers, all abounding with the varied forms of life. There were vast areas of rich agricultural lands and quantities of coal and iron, and of copper, lead and zinc, of silver and gold and of many useful minerals. It was an ideal home for the fisherman and hunter, and for the savage who accepted nature as he found it, being scarcely more than another feature of the panorama. There were perhaps 500,000 of these native people in North America. They were called Indians. Physically they were fully developed with acute senses and strong passions; but intellectually and morally they were more like children. For their support they did not utilize even a tithe of the natural products so abundant everywhere.
Through a more complete utilization of these natural resources, North America has become the home of more than a hundred million of people. The history of North America for the last four hundred years will be the story of this transformation of a continent; an account of the gradual crowding out of the savage or child-like races by stronger races, those able to utilize more fully the gifts of nature. In reality the history of North America is a record of human development.
The story of Fort Harrison discusses an important incident in the history of the United States, and through it Terre Haute is brought into conspicuous connection with national affairs.
J. T. S.
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