330 The Winning of the West 



be the authority of Virginia. They were for the 

 most part rough, enterprising men; and while some 

 of them behaved well, others proved very disor 

 derly and gave much trouble to the French; so 

 that both the Creoles and the Indians became exas 

 perated with them and put them in serious jeopardy 

 just before Clark undertook his expedition in the 

 fall of 1786. 



The Creoles had suffered much from the general 

 misrule and anarchy in their country, and from the 

 disorderly conduct of some of the American set 

 tlers, and of not a few of the ragged volunteer sol 

 diery as well. They hailed with sincere joy the 

 advent of the disciplined Continental troops, com 

 manded by ofBcers who behaved with rigid justice 

 toward all men and put down disorder with a strong 

 hand. They were much relieved to find themselves 

 under the authority of Congress, and both to that 

 body and to the local Regular Army ofBcers they 

 sent petitions setting forth their grievances and 

 hopes. In one petition to Congress they recited at 

 length the wrongs done them, dwelling especially 

 upon the fact that they had gladly furnished the 

 garrison established among them with poultries and 

 provisions of every kind, for which they had never 

 received a dollar's payment. They remarked that 

 the stores seemed to disappear in a way truly mar 

 velous, leaving the backwoods soldiers who were 

 to have benefited by them "as ragged as ever." The 

 petitioners complained that the undisciplined militia 

 quartered among them, who on their arrival were 



