The Quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society Part 13

No information touching the matter of escort for emigrants from Fort Leavenworth to Oregon in the year 1843 has been found in this office.

J. PARKER, Major of Cavalry, a.s.sistant Adjutant General.

Second indors.e.m.e.nt.

RECORD AND PENSION OFFICE, WAR DEPARTMENT, _Was.h.i.+ngton_, _September 10, 1902_.

Respectfully submitted to the Quartermaster General of the Army.

The records on file in this office show that J. M. s.h.i.+vely, of St. Louis, Missouri, stated under date of March 25, 1843, that his party would start for Oregon on April 20, 1843; and that he desired a company of troops. The records also show that the communication of Mr. s.h.i.+vely was charged to the Quartermaster General.

Nothing additional has been found bearing on this inquiry.

---- ----, Chief, Record and Pension Office.

[Name signed not decipherable.]

Third indors.e.m.e.nt.

WAR DEPARTMENT, QUARTERMASTER GENERAL'S OFFICE, _Was.h.i.+ngton_, _October 6, 1902_.

Respectfully returned, by direction of the Quartermaster General, to Mr. Joseph Schafer, No. 311 Park Street, Madison, Wisconsin.

No record of any correspondence with Captain E. Steen, 1st Dragoons, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, during the year 1843, bearing on the matter of a military escort for emigrants is found, nor is there any record of the communication of J. M.

s.h.i.+vely referred to in the second indors.e.m.e.nt hereon.

S. F. LONG, (?) Major and Quartermaster, United States Army.

From the _Ohio Statesman_ February 24, 1843.

OREGON.

The Xenia _Free Press_ says: A farmer in this county informed us a few days since that he could raise a company of fifty families who, if [supported?] by the Government, would march, on short notice, for Oregon.

Also on the same page: The _State Register_ (Illinois) says that the largest meetings it ever witnessed were held in Springfield on Wednesday and Thursday evenings in the hall of the House of Representatives, a couple of whigs talking the British side of the question.

From the _Ohio Statesman_, February 17, 1843.

THE OREGON MEETING.

[The meeting was evidently held on Sat.u.r.day, February 11th.]

The meeting on Sat.u.r.day evening at the Council Chamber was much more fully attended than was expected, the proceedings of which will be found in our paper. After the organization and the appointment of a committee to report to the adjourned meeting to be held on Thursday evening next, William B. Hubbard, Esq., in answer to a call of the meeting, commenced a most interesting address, prefaced by offering a resolution complimentary of Doctor Linn of Missouri, and those senators who stood by him in the advocacy of the bill for the settlement of this territory.

The cry of fire caused Mr. H. to close his remarks, with a request by the meeting that he would proceed with them at the next meeting. We hope Mr. H. will prepare a synopsis of his remarks for the press. Nothing would be read with greater interest at this time.

The Government should speedily establish military posts from the frontier settlements on the Missouri to the Pacific.

Settlements would speedily take place around each post, and produce in abundance would soon be raised to supply the post and the flow of emigration.

An adjourned meeting of the citizens of Columbus and its vicinity was held in the United States courtroom on the evening of Thursday, the 10th instant, in pursuance of a resolution adopted at the last meeting.

[Colonel Medary (editor of the _Statesman_), from a committee appointed to collect facts, reported that the committee wanted more time. The subject growing more and more interesting, on motion the committee was allowed till next Thursday.]

The resolution offered at last meeting was then taken up, and on motion of Mr. Hubbard, was amended by adding, at the end thereof, the words "without the violation of any international law."

The resolution, as amended, read as follows:

_Resolved_, That this meeting duly appreciate the untiring labors and distinguished abilities of Senator Linn and others in Congress, in their successful advocacy of the just claim of the United States to the Oregon Country; and that, as a component part of the Great West, we hope for a speedy adjustment of our rights upon the borders of the Pacific Ocean, and a like speedy occupation and settlement of that country, without the violation of any international law.

[Copy ordered sent to Hon. Joseph Ridgway, member of Congress for the district.]

The _Ohio Statesman_ of March 10, 1843, contains the report of the committee appointed as per the above accounts. The report seems to have been drawn up by Col. Samuel Medary, chairman, and is a strong and interesting doc.u.ment of considerable length. It discusses in full, with all the information available at the time, the economic advantages of the Oregon Country, as well as the question of t.i.tle.

The report is accompanied by a map.

From the _Ohio Statesman_, March 14, 1843.

OREGON.

The people are again in motion here in relation to the emigration to Oregon this spring. Peter H. Burnett, Esq., one of our most estimable citizens is among the foremost here in exciting a laudable spirit in relation to the settlement of that desirable country. On Tuesday evening Mr.

Burnett delivered a very able lecture upon this subject, in which was embodied a vast fund of information calculated to impress all who had the pleasure of hearing him with the advantages attendant on an early settlement of our western demesne. The American eagle is flapping his wings, the precurser of the end of the British lion, on the sh.o.r.es of the Pacific. Destiny has willed it.--_Platte (Missouri) Eagle._

From the _Chillicothe Intelligencer_, March 17, 1843.

[At a meeting on March 8th, held in the Courthouse, Amos Holton presented a series of resolutions, and addressed the meeting at length] showing the origin and justice of our claim, and the immense value of that territory to the United States, in a commercial point of view, and to the West in particular, when, on motion the preamble and resolutions were unanimously adopted.

JOHN A. FULTON, Chairman.

WM. E. GILMORE, Secretary.

From the _Ohio Statesman_, April 26, 1843, quoting the _Iowa Gazette_ (Burlington).

OREGON.

(The article aims to give a plan of preparations for emigrating, including detailed advice as to outfit, route, etc. The suggestions are similar to those adopted by the Bloomington meeting, for which see THE QUARTERLY of the Oregon Historical Society, Volume III, page 390-391, December number.)

[The writer thinks that there is a ferry at or near Council Bluffs.] I speak of Burlington as a very suitable point to start from, because we have an abundance of the necessary supplies, and an excellent and very commodious steam ferryboat for those who are east of us.