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Pioneer Society of Michigan
Records of the Annual Meeting of 1883, pgs 248-251
How Battle Creek Received Its
Name.
BY 0. POPPLETON
Read at Annual Meeting of State Pioneer Society, June 11th, 1883.
MR. PRESIDENT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF THE STATE PIONEER SOCIETY: The incidents,
reminiscences, and early surveys and settlement of our State no doubt, have been presented
by many who have had the honor to address you at previous meetings of the Society; and it
may be expected of those who narrate these incidents, that they will confine themselves to
the locality from whence they come. If such is the rule, or custom, I hope you will excuse
me for trespassing upon other portions of the State than where I reside, in Oakland
county. It is true, she has a history of her own, worthy an abler pen than mine, though I
have had the pleasure of presenting to their Society such papers upon her early history.
That county was the first surveyed and settled in the State, to any extent, except the
early French settlements at Detroit and along the river, with a few English from the
States.
There have been a number of accounts published from time to time, of an occurrence in
the early survey of Calhoun, Barry, and Eaton counties, the last of which appeared in the
Detroit Free Press of the date of March 22d, 1879. That article was headed "How
Battle Creek Received its Name," and was the nearest correct version of the battle
between two men of the surveying party engaged in running the exterior township lines
about what are now known as Battle Creek, Penfield, Bedford, Convis, and Emmet, in Calhoun
county, Assyria in Barry county, and Bellevue in Eaton County, which has come to my
notice.
That article contained a few errors in dates and facts, which I have endeavored to
correct. At the time of the publication of that article, a brother of Edward Baldwin,
therein mentioned, resided in the place of my residence, and still lives there, from whom
I have gleaned many facts relative to this event. He, Edwin Baldwin, was engaged in
packing provisions for Sylvester Sibley, who had the contract for subdividing the
townships mentioned in Calhoun county, and was engaged in those surveys during April and
May, 1826, and frequently passed by the abandoned camp of John Mullett, who surveyed the
exterior lines of the townships heretofore mentioned, commencing in March, 1825, and
finishing in January, 1826, and from his personal observations, and from information
obtained from his brother Edward, I am confident that I have been able to obtain the
material facts in regard to that event. I have consulted the original minutes and surveys
of the exterior and subdivisions of those townships, which enables me to arrive at the
dates, and where Mullett's camp was located on the day of the attack upon Baldwin and
Taylor, which was, as Mr. Mullet says, "In the west part of range six west, on the
base line."
Mr. Edwin Baldwin says the camp was near a stream on the base line, afterwards called
Battle Creek, and about a mile east of the four corners of the townships of Penfield and
Convis, in Calhoun county, Assyria in Barry county, and Bellevue in Eaton county, which
must have been on section six, town one south, range six west, Convis township, Calhoun
county, or on section thirtyone, town one north, range six west, Bellevue, Eaton county.
In making these inquiries and researches for the purpose of eliciting the facts and
vindicating the pioneer history of this event, its time and location, I very fortunately
obtained a copy of John Mullett's letter, through his son, who resides in Eaton county, to
Gov. Lewis Cass, which I have transcribed, and will now read:
March, 1825
"SIR: In consequence of depredations committed oil my party by Pottawattomie
Indians, and the determined hostility to my surveying, I have thought it most prudent to
leave my district to inform yon of the circumstances, and solicit your interference to
prevent similar occurrences in the future, as well for the safety of the frontier
settlements, as for those who may be engaged in Surveying the public lands. The district
assigned to me is the surveying of the exterior townsbip lines of a tract of country from
township seven south to township two north, inclusive, bounded on the east by former
surveyed lands, and on the west by the line between ranges six and seven west. I commenced
at the south part of my district and progressed north as far as T. 1 south, where I came
to a tract apparently thickly inhabited with Indians, at their sugaring establishments. I
frequently met with small parties, all of whom evinced a determination not to permit my
surveying; in some instances would follow, pull up the posts, and efface the marks; and at
other times would peremptorily order me to leave the country, step in before me to prevent
my proceeding with my line, lay hold of my compass, etc. I have one man in my party who
could understand and speak a little of the Indian tongue. Through him I made them
understand that we were sent there by our chiefs, as I expressed it, that we were their
friends, that no harm was done, or intended, and that our chiefs would be disappointed if
we returned without completing our work, etc. They only replied that the land belonged to
them; that they would not suffer our marking the trees, and that there were plenty of
Indians near, and if I proceeded, they would kill me, etc. I continued, meeting with
similar interruptions for several days, determined if possible to complete my district. On
the 14th inst., I left my camp, which was on the base line, in the west part of range six
west, in the care of two men, Mr. Taylor and Baldwin, and with my chainmen and axmen ran
north, to return in the evening.
"About one o'clock two Indians came to the camp, with the same hostile appearance
that they had uniformly evinced towards us, told Taylor and Baldwin to leave the country;
that they had no right to hack the trees. Mr. Taylor made them understand that our chiefs
sent us there; that they must got an order from them before we could go, and in every way
tried to convince them that no harm was done, or meant.
"They pretended to be in fact satisfied, entered our tent, asked for food, which
was given them. They then examined our rifle, saw that it was loaded, asked bow many
belonged to our party, where they were gone, and at what time they would return, etc. Mr.
Taylor answered that 4 men belonged to the party, that they were gone north, and that they
would return about sunset. They then asked for tobacco, which was given them. After
smoking some, they then went outside of the tent, conversed together some time, and
renewed their order for my party to leave the country and give them the provisions. Mr.
Taylor told them that he could spare no provisions; his men were hungry. One Indian then
drew his hatchet and renewed his demand, while the other Indian presented his cocked rifle
to enforce it; telling Taylor to be quick. Baldwin at that moment endeavored by a quick
step, to get behind the Indian with the rifle; who, perceiving his intent, turned and
discharged the rifle at him just as Baldwin struck it aside with his hand. The Indian then
sprang, and seized the rifle which belonged to our camp, and discharged that, which was
fortunately knocked aside by Baldwin in the same manner. He then made for the rifle
belonging to the other Indian, who was all this time engaged with Taylor with the hatchet,
which Taylor had caught hold of, as the Indian made a pass at him. Baldwin followed his
antagonist so close as to prevent him from discharging the third rifle, and succeeded in
wresting it from him, although they broke the stock in tile affray, and left Baldwin in
possession of the naked barrel, with which he knocked him down, and flew to the assistance
of Taylor, who lay with his antagonist on the ground struggling for the possession of the
hatchet. Baldwin with one blow of his rifle barrel, relieved Taylor from his disagreeable
situation. They bound tile Indians, hand and foot, and kept them until my return to camp;
which was a little after sunset. I felt sensible of' the danger of our situation, but
could see no alternative but to keep them until morning. After hearing the particulars of
the affray from Taylor and Baldwin, I went to the Indians, asked their names, told them I
should have to take them to Detroit to have them punished.
"Sig., JOHN MULLETT."
Gen. Cass dispatched Col, Louis Beaufait, an Indian interpreter, to investigate the
difficulty between the surveying party and the Indians, and learned that they were
instigated in their hostility to the surveys of these lands by old Baptis or
Batiscon, all
Indian trader, who feared that, should the Surveys be permitted, and the whites settle the
country, his profitable vocation would be gone. The Chiefs whom Col. Beaufait interviewed,
denied any knowledge of the attack upon Mr. Mullett's camp, and assured him that ft. was
made by some young Indians of their band, for a little pleasantry' or fun, and the chiefs
and Baptis promised to send out scouts to warn all Indians in that vicinity not to
interfere with the surveying parties, and that they must desist from pulling up stakes and
defacing marks upon the trees; which promise was strictly kept, and the surveying parties
were not troubled thereafter. The survey of the exterior lines was resumed in Nov., 1825,
and completed in Jan., 1826.
Edward Baldwin did not return with the surveying party, fearing all encounter with
those Indians, to whom he was well known. Edward Baldwin and Mr. Taylor were of Mr.
Mullett's surveying party, the latter in the capacity of cook. Those two Indians came to
the tent in the afternoon of March 14th, 1825. Taylor being alone in the tent, called to
Baldwin, who was within hailing distance, who hastened to camp, and upon entering it,
found the two Indians helping themselves to flour, meat, and tobacco, filling their camp
kettles, and making hostile demonstrations, being armed with tomahawk, knife, and each a
loaded rifle. Baldwin and Taylor arrested them in their proceedings of plunder, and
attempted to forcibly eject them, which the Indians resisted. Then the controversy
commenced in earnest; white mail against red-skin, the Indian firing his rifle, and then
caught Mullett’s from the tent, and aimed it at Baldwin, who struck the barrel aside
with his arm just as the Indian fired, cutting a heavy woolen vest in two in, front with
the ball and powder. The Indian then caught the other Indian's rifle. Baldwin, being a
powerful, muscular mail, clinched the rifle barrel near the muzzle, wrenched it from the
hands of the Indian, and dealt him a blow, felling him to the ground, breaking the gun
stock off at the breech.
Taylor, who had grappled with the other Indian, had thrown him, and had become nearly
exhausted in holding him down, and appealed to Baldwin for help. In the first struggle,
Taylor had caught the Indian's arm at the wrist, as he raised it, tomahawk in hand, with
the evident purpose of braining him, and continued holding his arm with one hand, the
other clinched in his hair. Baldwin directed Taylor to let go the red-skin's hair, which
he did, when he struck the Indian with the rifle barrel with which he had already felled
one red-skin, crushing his skull.
When Mullett and his party returned to camp at evening, and found the two Indians lying
senseless in the tent, they deemed it prudent to leave their work; which they did early
the next morning, March 15th, leaving some provisions and water brought from the stream
near by, for the Indians should they revive, and the surveying party returned to Detroit
to await negotiations with the Indian chiefs, which was done by Col. Beaufait; and Mr.
Mullett returned, continued and completed his surveys unmolested, as previously mentioned.
Edwin Baldwin, while packing provisions for Sibley the following year, encountered on
an Indian trail, Simo, one of the Indians brained by his brother, who suddenly bid in a
clump of bushes some distance ahead, and when approaching the point where he last saw him,
was suddenly covered by the Indian's rifle, poised as if to shoot as he came into an open
space. Baldwin met his fierce demoniacal look with a fearless, unconcerned gaze, with his
eyes constantly upon the Indian, while approaching him, and called to him in French to
come to him. The Indian replied that he was deaf. lie then beckoned for him to come, which
he did, carrying his rifle at half rest as he approached. Upon reaching him Simo
exclaimed. "You not the Chemocaman who crushed my skull in with a gun barrel,"
at the same time lifting a piece of buckskin from the top of his head, exposing the wound
inflicted by his brother Edward. The brain was discernible through a thin white tissue
which had closed over it. There being a strong family resemblance between the brothers,
together with. the fact that Edwin wore the same woolen vest (which had been mended by his
mother) that Edward wore in his encounter with the Indian, led Simo, at first sight, to
believe him to be the same Chemocaman who crushed in his skull. After making some presents
of tobacco to the Indian, Baldwin passed oil, but kept all eye on him until out of sight;
fearing he would fire upon him as he kept his rifle ready and half raised to his face.
This Indian lived about a year, though feeble, and died. Mr. Baldwin does not remember the
other one's name, but knew him, and of his whereabouts for some years afterwards.
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