History of Springfield, Illinois, its attractions as a home and advantages for business, manufacturing, etc. Pub. under the auspices of the Springfield board of trade, by J. C. Power.

ITS ADVANTAGES FOR MANUFACTURING. 7
Louisville, where he was met by Captain to acknowledge any of the courtesies exBowman, who had gone down through tended to him on account of his official
Kentucky to raise a company of men. position. The only alternative for ColoWhen all were assembled on the island nel Clarke was to send him in irons to
he first disclosed to them that his point the Capital of Virginia.
of destination was Kaskaskia, in the Illi- THE COUNTY OF ILLINOIS.
nois country. From "Corn Island" Col.
Soon after the capture of Kaskaskia,
Clarke descended with his forces, to Fort
Col. Clarke communicated the result of
Massac, on the west side of the Ohio
on'the west side his expedition to the Governor, and esriver, about forty miles above its mouth. his
pressed his desire to have civil governThe party left their boats at this point,
ment extended over the conquered terriand marched across the country to Kastory. An act was passed by the lawkaskia, a distance of 120 miles, through
making powers of Virginia, in October,
an unbroken wilderness. They arrived'
1778 to establish the county of Illinois.
within sight of the village on the morn- y
" It embraced all that part of Virginia
ing of the 4th of July. He concealed the
west of the Ohio river, and was probably
main body of his men, and sent out spies'- reconnoispie the largest county in the world, exceedto reconnoitre. At night the men were
ing in its dimensions the whole of Great
divided into two bodies, one to take the
Britain and Ireland." To speak more
village and the other Fort Gage. After
all was in readiness, with the soldiers itely, the county of Virginia, called
Illinois, embraced the territory now indrawn up in line on the banks of the luded in the States of Ohio, Indiana,
eluded in the States of Ohio, Indiana,
Kaskaskia, Col. Clarke delivered a short Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan.
Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan.
address to his troops, in which he re- After capturing Fort Gates, the next
After capturing Fort Gates, the nest
minded them that it was the anniversary
point to be reduced was Fort St. Vincent,
of the Deelaration of Independence, and
now Vincennes, Indiana. This fortificathat they must take the fort and village in
at all hazards. Fr etion fell into his hands Feb. 24, 1779,
at all hazards. Fort Gage was a worlk of
with Governor Hamilton and seventyconsiderable strength, mounted with cannine men. The property captured with
non and defended by regular soldiers.
this fort was valued at one hundred
So secret had been the movements of the
thousand pounds sterling.
attacking party, and so little were they
expected, that they reached the very THE FIRST REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRATIC
gates of the fortification unperceived. In GOVERNOR OF ILLINOIS.
addition to this, they were so fortunate Until this stage of its history, the Illias to get into communication with an nois country had been successively under
American belonging to the fort, who led savage, military and monarchical rulers,
a detachment of soldiers, under the cele- but now the time for another change was
brated Simon Kenton, inside, through a at hand. The first republican Governor
back gate. The first intimation the Go. of Illinois was no less a personage than
vernor had of their presence, was by the renowned Patrick Henry, the great
Kenton giving him a shake to arouse orator of the American Revolution. He
him from his slumbers. The conquest became the Governor of Virginia, in
was achieved without the shedding of a 1776, and continued to hold the office by
drop of blood. re-election until 1779. It was in this
The mortification of Governor Roche- way that he came to be the first repubblave was so great when he found him- lican or democratic Governor of Illinois.
self a prisoner in the hands of so small a The law of Virginia establishing the
body of raw militia, without having an county of Illinois, having been enacted
opportunity to fire a gun, that he refused in October, 1778, on the 12th of Decem