The Battle of Vincennes
After the French and Indian War, the British had taken care to be on good terms with the Natives. The French at the time were aligned with the British.
George Rogers Clark, an American, wanted to take over some French settlements. He took Fort Gage July 4, 1778 without even firing a shot. They soon heard of the American and French alliance, and the French they had captured gladly swore their allegiances to the Americans.
The British made plans to capture fort Sackville (Vincennes). It was actually really easy because there was only Captain Leonard Helm and three other Virginians occupying it. There was supposed to be French soldiers there, but they had left over time.
Clark didn't hear about the fall of Vincennes until a Spanish trader named Francis Vigo told him. Vigo was just passing by Fort Sackville when he was captured by the British. He was let go because Spain wasn't a part of the war, but he rushed to Clark as soon as he could, and he also warned him that the British were planning an attack. If the Patriots lost, then they could potentially lose Kentucky.
The Ohio River Valley gave the Continental Army much-needed supplies. Losing this area would have meant that this supply line would be cut off. Clarks formed a plan and set off on Feb 5, 1778. About 170 men went with him on a 180 mile trip to reclaim Vincennes. Their trip was waterlogged and miserable, and they began running short on supplies.
Eventually, they reached a French settlement that was very close to Vincennes. The people there were very kind to the soldiers and fed them.
Clark knew he had to make a bold move, and quickly. If British reinforcements came, any chance the Colonials could win would be crushed. At sundown on Feb 23rd, Clark made two battalions, one led by him and the other by Joseph Bowmen, and they marched up to fort Sackville waving flags and pounding drums, retreating back under cover so it would seem that they had a much larger force. Even with all the fanfare, the British didn't notice them.
He then sent only 14 men to surround the fort, everyone else was sent to the French settlement. Clark told his men to make a lot of noise and fire as often as they could, and to aim for every opening on the fort and fire at his signal. When they started firing, the British had to close their own gun ports.
At about 8:00 a.m. on the 24th, a truce was called and Clark sent a letter demanding surrender to Lt Governor Henry Hamilton. Hamilton refused and continued fire. With heavy fire on fort Sackville, a small group of men undermining the fort, and reinforcements some 600 miles away, and believing that he was surrounded by about 500 men, Hamilton considered surrender.
Meanwhile, a small group of Indians with soldiers in captivity came by. They had no idea that the fort was under siege, and soon they were captured, and executed in plain sight of fort Sackville as a warning.
Once terms of surrender were negotiated, the British flag wasn't raised in the fort. When Clark and his small battalion came into the fort to raise the American flag, Hamilton realized he had surrendered to a force much smaller than he had imagined, and reportedly had tears in his eyes. No losses were confirmed on either side.
George Rogers Clark, an American, wanted to take over some French settlements. He took Fort Gage July 4, 1778 without even firing a shot. They soon heard of the American and French alliance, and the French they had captured gladly swore their allegiances to the Americans.
The British made plans to capture fort Sackville (Vincennes). It was actually really easy because there was only Captain Leonard Helm and three other Virginians occupying it. There was supposed to be French soldiers there, but they had left over time.
Clark didn't hear about the fall of Vincennes until a Spanish trader named Francis Vigo told him. Vigo was just passing by Fort Sackville when he was captured by the British. He was let go because Spain wasn't a part of the war, but he rushed to Clark as soon as he could, and he also warned him that the British were planning an attack. If the Patriots lost, then they could potentially lose Kentucky.
The Ohio River Valley gave the Continental Army much-needed supplies. Losing this area would have meant that this supply line would be cut off. Clarks formed a plan and set off on Feb 5, 1778. About 170 men went with him on a 180 mile trip to reclaim Vincennes. Their trip was waterlogged and miserable, and they began running short on supplies.
Eventually, they reached a French settlement that was very close to Vincennes. The people there were very kind to the soldiers and fed them.
Clark knew he had to make a bold move, and quickly. If British reinforcements came, any chance the Colonials could win would be crushed. At sundown on Feb 23rd, Clark made two battalions, one led by him and the other by Joseph Bowmen, and they marched up to fort Sackville waving flags and pounding drums, retreating back under cover so it would seem that they had a much larger force. Even with all the fanfare, the British didn't notice them.
He then sent only 14 men to surround the fort, everyone else was sent to the French settlement. Clark told his men to make a lot of noise and fire as often as they could, and to aim for every opening on the fort and fire at his signal. When they started firing, the British had to close their own gun ports.
At about 8:00 a.m. on the 24th, a truce was called and Clark sent a letter demanding surrender to Lt Governor Henry Hamilton. Hamilton refused and continued fire. With heavy fire on fort Sackville, a small group of men undermining the fort, and reinforcements some 600 miles away, and believing that he was surrounded by about 500 men, Hamilton considered surrender.
Meanwhile, a small group of Indians with soldiers in captivity came by. They had no idea that the fort was under siege, and soon they were captured, and executed in plain sight of fort Sackville as a warning.
Once terms of surrender were negotiated, the British flag wasn't raised in the fort. When Clark and his small battalion came into the fort to raise the American flag, Hamilton realized he had surrendered to a force much smaller than he had imagined, and reportedly had tears in his eyes. No losses were confirmed on either side.
The Battle of Vincennes was important because the western part of the colonies were a key part of power and support in the revolution. The supplies flowing to the continental army from the west gave much needed support, and it also prevented the British from getting an additional front on the colonies.
Really Quick SummaryThe French and Indians were aligned with the British at this point. The British wanted to take Fort Sackville, and they did so easily. Francis Vigo notified George Rogers Clark about that, and so he set off with a group of 170 men on the 5th of Feb, 1778 and 180 miles later ended up at Vincennes, a nearby French settlement that welcomed them in.
Clark split his army into two groups on the 23rd, one led by Joseph Bowmen. They marched forward multiple times to seem intimidating, which went unnoticed. Clark then took 14 men to surround the fort to fire shots and make a lot of noise. 8:00 the next morning, a truce was called and Clark demanded surrender. Henry Hamilton refused and continued fire. A group of Indians were executed in plain sight of Sackville to make a point. After some arrangements of surrender, Hamilton did so to a force much smaller than he had imagined. |
Key Individuals InvolvedGeorge Rogers Clark
Francis Vigo Lt Governor Henry Hamilton |