The War in the Northwest 219 



to most of them the destruction of British rule was 

 a misfortune. The bold, self-reliant, and energetic 

 spirits among them, who were able to become 

 Americanized, and to adapt themselves to the new 

 conditions, undoubtedly profited immensely by the 

 change. As soon as they adopted American ways, 

 they were received by the Americans on terms of 

 perfect and cordial equality, and they enjoyed a 

 far higher kind of life than could possibly have been 

 theirs formerly, and achieved a much greater meas- 

 ure of success. But most of the Creoles were help- 

 lessly unable to grapple with the new life. They 

 had been accustomed to the paternal rule of priest 

 and military commandant, and they were quite un- 

 able to govern themselves, or* to hold their own with 

 the pushing, eager, and often unscrupulous, new- 

 comers. So little able were they to understand pre- 

 cisely what the new form of government was, that 

 when they went down to receive Todd as command- 

 ant, it is said that some of them, joining in the 

 cheering, from force of habit cried "Vive le roi." 



For the first year of Todd's administration, while 

 Clark still remained in the county as commandant 

 of the State troops, matters went fairly well. Clark 

 kept the Indians completely in check, and when some 

 of them finally broke out, and started on a maraud- 

 ing expedition against Cahokia, he promptly re- 

 pulsed them, and by a quick march burned their 

 towns on Rock River, and forced them to sue for 



peace. 2 



2 In the beginning of 1780. Bradford MS. 



