But there was to these people an immediate
necessity for their doing so at once. They could not wait. But, what
could they do? Among these people were many adventurous and determined
men: they had mostly emigrated from the West--Tennessee, Kentucky,
Western Pennsylvania, and Virginia; and some were the descendants of
those who had gone to the country from the South, in 1777 and '8, to
avoid the consequences of the Revolutionary War. This class of men met
in council, and secretly determined to revolutionize the country, take
possession of the Spanish fort, and ask American protection.
They desired to be attached to Louisiana as a part of that State. This,
however, they could not effect without the consent of the State; and to
ask this consent was deemed useless, until they were first recognized
as part of the United States. In this dilemma, a veteran of the
Revolution, and an early pioneer to Kentucky, and thence to West
Florida, said: "'Wherever there is a will, there is a way:' we must
first get rid of the Spanish authority, and look out for what may
follow."
They secretly assembled a small force, and, upon a concerted day, met
in secret, and under the cover of night approached the vicinity of the
fort.
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