144} 
were four in number, received or- 
ders toembody, General Miflin, 
who had made a conspicuous ‘fi- 
gure in the,American war, took 
the field against them, at the 
head of six thousand volunteers, 
and another body of seven thou- 
sand men was. on its march to 
join them. ‘These different corps 
amounted to near thirty thousand 
men. This great force had been 
colle&ted with the view of intimi- 
dating the insurgents into submis- 
sion, without the effusion of blood. 
The plan succeeded completely. 
On the approach cf generai Wash- 
ington, they gave up all ideas of 
resistance. Lhe army entered, 
without mecting with the least 
molestation, into the country of 
the insurgents, who had at first 
assembled in considerable numbers ; 
but finding that opposition would 
be vain, disbanded every where; 
their chiefs, thus defeated, were 
obliged to fly. Several of them, 
however, were taken. The insur- 
re€tion being suppressed in this 
expeditious manner, a meeting 
was called at Pittsburgh, of the 
principal settlers in the disaffect- 
ed parts, who came to a determi- 
nation to submit to the tax, and 
to pay due obedience to the laws 
enacted by congress, and to main- 
tain them to the utmost of their 
power. In order to reconcile 
the malcontents by moderation, 
after subduing them by force, their 
leaders, who had been seized, re- 
ceived 2 full pardon with the other 
prisoners, and the insurrection fi- 
nally terminated, as the govern- 
ment had cordi ially desired, without 
effusion of blood. 
This speedy ond fortunate issue 
of a business, that wore at first so 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1795. | ~ 
menacing an aspect, did great 
honour to the American govern- 
ment. ‘Through the firmness and 
prudence displayed throughout the 
whole of this transaction, not only 
a dangerous insurrection was quel]_ 
ed, but a strong precedent was 
established, of the inefficacy of re- 
sistance to the just and moderate 
demands of the ‘legislature. It 
was also the more  seasonable, 
that the state was, at this very junc- 
ture, involved in a quarrel with 
the Indians on the frontiers to the 
West of the United States, and 
not a little apprehensive that the 
dispute might, before long, assume 
a greater degree of maghitude, from 
the interference of that power which 
the Americans had most reason to 
dread. 
An officer of noted courage and 
conduét had been placed at the 
head of the force dispatched a- 
gainst the Indians. This was ge- 
neral Wayne, who had greatly 
distinguished himself in the Ame. 
rican war. He had, on this oc- 
c4sion, a difficult part to aét. He 
had not only the Indians to en- 
counter, but a considerable’ body 
of Canadians and British colonists, 
of Detroit, intermixed with them, 
A farther difficulty occurred from 
a circumstance unforescen and un- 
expected. A fort, within the fi. 
mits of the United States, stood 
behind the encampment of this 
force, and had a British gar- 
rison, which had lately retaken 
possession of it. This being an: 
infraction of the treaty of 1783, 
general Wayne thence concluded, 
that hostilities were intended a- 
gainst’ the American states. He 
had also received information that a 
British agent among the dndians had 
excited 
