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MICHIGAN CHAPTER 17 Close of the Revolution and Surrender of Michigan to the United States
The legislature also made provision for granting lands in the province and grants or pretended grants by Indian tribes were made to Jonathan Schiefflin, Robert Innis, Alexander Henry, John Askin, Robert McNiff, John Dode-mead and others of parcels of land covering pretty nearly the whole southeastern portion of Michigan westward as far as the centre line and as far north as Saginaw. This was supposed at the time to cover all of the
region likely to be considered worth anything for the next hundred years.
To encourage the Indians in self-defence and incidentally as a protection to Detroit, Simcoe built a fort at the rapids of the Maumee and garrisoned it with British soldiers. He was evidently persuaded, even so late as 1794, as was apparently Governor Carleton also, that the prospects were favorable for Great Britain to continue holding the country. But in that very year their hopes must have been blasted, for Jay's treaty made in September, 1794, stipulated that all the western, posts within the territorybelonging to theUnitedStates should be surrendered by June 1, 1796. In spite of this, however, they still sought to postpone the inevitable through Indian hostility which they lent their efforts to promote. While there were some disaffected savages ready to take up arms in behalf of British interests, the councils were divided. Nevertheless there were troubles of a sufficiently serious character to call for the energetic efforts of General Anthony Wayne and a considerable army. Several bloody engagements took place, in which militia and volunteers from Detroit participated, one of them almost under the gates of the British fort on the Maumee.
MICHIGAN
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