378 The Winning of the West 



over in New Orleans and Detroit the Westerners 

 possessed two outposts which it would be difficult to 

 retain in the event of war with England, the only 

 European nation that had power seriously to injure 

 them. These two outposts were sundered from the 

 rest of the settled Western territory by vast regions 

 tenanted only by warlike Indian tribes. Detroit was 

 most in danger from the Indians, the British being 

 powerless against it unless in alliance with the for- 

 midable tribes that had so long battled against 

 American supremacy. Their superb navy gave the 

 British the power to attack New Orleans at will. 

 The Westerners could rally to the aid of New Or- 

 leans much more easily than to the aid of Detroit; 

 for the Mississippi offered a sure channel of com- 

 munication, and New Orleans, unlike Detroit, pos- 

 sessed some capacity for self-defence; whereas the 

 difficulties of transit through the Indian-haunted 

 wilderness south of the Great Lakes were certain to 

 cause endless dangers and delays if it became neces- 

 sary for the Westerners either to reinforce or to re- 

 capture the little city which' commanded the straits 

 between Huron and Erie. 



During the dozen years which opened with 

 Wayne's campaigns, saw the treaties of Jay and 

 Pinckney, and closed with the explorations of Lewis, 

 Clark, and Pike, the West had grown with the 

 growth of a giant, and for the first time had achieved 

 peace ; but it was not yet safe from danger of outside 

 attack. Territories which had been won by war 



