History of Crawford and Richland counties, Wisconsin, Part 31

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899. [from old catalog]; Union publishing company, Springfield, Ill., pub. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Springfield, Ill., Union publishing company
Number of Pages: 1298

USA > Wisconsin > Richland County > History of Crawford and Richland counties, Wisconsin > Part 31
USA > Wisconsin > Crawford County > History of Crawford and Richland counties, Wisconsin > Part 31

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I feel the importance of your having as many mounted men as the country can afford, to aid in punishing those insolent Winnebagoes who are wishing to unite, it would seem, in common all the disaffected Indians on our borders. From information received last night, some

straggling Indians have been seen on our fron- tier.

Your friend and obedient servant, HI. DODGE. To Gen. II. ATKINSON, Prairie du Chien.

There has repeatedly, during the past dozen or fifteen years, appeared in the papers an arti- cle purporting to be An Indian's Race for Life. It stated, that soon after the Winnebago diffi- culties in 1827, that a Sioux Indian killed a Winnebago Indian while out hunting near the mouth of Root river; that the Winnebagoes were indignant at the act, and 2,000 of them assembled at Prairie du Chien, and demanded of Col. Taylor, commanding there, the proeure- ment and surrender of the murderer. An officer was sent to the Sioux, and demanded the mur- derer, who was given up ; and finally was sur- rendered to the Winnebagoes, on condition that he should have a chance for his life-giving him ten paces, to run at a given signal, and twelve Winnebagoes to pursue, each armed only with a tomahawk and scalping knife-but he ont-ran them all, and saved his life.

H. L. Dousman and B. W. Brisbois, have always declared that no such incident ever oc- eurred there, and that there is " not one word of truth in the statement." This note is appended here that future historians of our State may un- derstand that it is only a myth or fanciful story. DANIEL M. PARKINSON'S RECOLLECTIONS OF THE WINNEBAGO WAR.

[From "Collections of the State Historical Society of Wis- consin, " Vol. 11. 1856.]

In the year 1822 considerable excitement was created in relation to the lead mines near Ga- lena, and a number of persons went there from Sangamon county, among whom was Col. Ebe- nezer Brigham, now of Blue Mounds, Dane Co., Wis. In 1826 the excitement and interest rela- tive to the lead mine country became consider- ably increased, and in 1827, it became intense, equalling almost anything pertaining to the California gold fever. People from almost all portions of the Union inconsiderately rushed to | the mining region.

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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

With' Col. William S. Hamilton, James D. Brents and two others, I arrived at Galena on the 4th of July, 1827, and on the same day ar- rived also a boat from St. Peter's, which had been attacked by the Indians a short distance above Prairie du Chien, bringing on board one man killed and two men wounded. In the en- counter with the Indians they killed two of them. * * * *

Upon the reception of the alarming intelli- genee of the attack on this boat and also upon some of the inhabitants near Prairie du Chien and the reports being spread over the country, a scene of the most alarming and disorderly confusion ensued-alarm and consternation were depicted in every countenance-thousands flocking to Galenafor safety, when in factit was the most exposed and unsafe place in the whole country. All were without arms, order or con- trol. The roads were lined in all directions with frantic and fleeing men, women and chil- dren, expecting every moment to be overtaken, tomahawked and scalped by the Indians. It was said, and I presume with truth, that the encampment of fugitives at the head of Apple river on the first night of the alarm was four miles in extent and numbered 3,000 persons.

In this state of alarm, confusion and disorder it was extremely difficult to do anything; almost every man's objeet was to leave the country, if possible. At length a company of riflemen was raised at Galena, upon the requsition of Gov. Cass of Michigan, who arrived there on the see- ond day after the alarm. This company was commanded by Abner Fields, of Vandalia, I11., as captain and one Smith and William S. Ham- ilton as lieutenants, and was immediately put in motion for Prairie du Chien, by embarking on board the keel-boat Maid of Fevre river. On our way up the river, I acted as sergeant of the company, and we made several reconnoitering expeditions into the woods near the river, where Indian encampments were indicated by the ris- ing of smoke. In these reconnoissances we run the hazard of some danger, but fortunately all

the Indians that we met were friendly disposed, and did not in the least sympathize with those who had made hostile demonstrations.

When we arrived at Prairie du Chien we took possession of the barracks, under the prior orders of Gov. Cass, and remained there for several days until we gave way to Col. Snell- ing's troops who arrived from Fort Snelling. While we remained there, a most serious difficulty occurred between Col. Snelling, of the regular army, and Capt. Fields and Lieut. Smith of our volunteers, which eventuated in Lient. Smith sending Col. Snelling a challenge and Capt. Fields insisted upon doing so likewise, but Col. Hamilton and I at length dissuaded him from it. Col. Snelling declined accepting Lieut. Smith's challenge, and immediately sent a corporal with a file of men to arrest Mr. Scott, the bearer of Smith's communication. The volunteers refused to surrender Scott into the hands of the guard, but Col. Hamilton wrote a note to Col. Snelling stating, in effect, that Scott should immediately appear before him. Accord- ingly Col. Hamilton and I conducted Mr. Seott into the presence of Col. Snelling, who inter- rogated him as to his knowledge of the con- tents of Lieut. Smith's communication; and upon Mr. Scott's assuring the colonel that he was entirely ignorant of the subject-matter, he was dismissed.

Col. Snelling then addressed the volunteers in a pacifie and conciliatory manner, which seemed to dispose of the matter amicably; but the colonel, nevertheless, refused to furnish us with any means of support or any mode of con- veyanee back to Galena-as the boat in which we came, returned there immediately after our arrival. But for the noble generosity of Mr. Lockwood, who kindly furnished us with a boat and provisions, we would have been compelled to have made our way back to Galena on foot, or as best we could, without provisions. During our entire stay at the garrison, we received the kindest treatment and most liberal hospitality at the hands of Mr. Lockwood. At the time of

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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

our arrival at Prairie du Chien, the citizens had in their custody as hostages for the good con- duet of their Nation, three Indians, one of whom was the well-known chief De-Kau-ray. le disclaimed on the part of his Nation as a whole, any intention to engage in hostilities with the whites; he was, however, retained some time as a hostage before being released.

During our absence, another volunteer com- pany was raised, commanded by Gen. Dodge, who was constantly in the field with his mounted force, keeping in check the approach of the enemy. During his rangings, he took young Win-ne-shiek, son of. the chief Win-ne-shiek, · who was detained as a hostage for some time. No farther disturbances of a serious character took place that season; and in the succeeding autumn, Gens. Atkinson and Dodge held a council or treaty with the Winnebagoes. After this we had no more Indian troubles till 1832. JAMES H. LOCKWOOD'S ACCOUNT OF THE WINNE- BAGO WAR.

In the winter of 1825-26, the wise men at Washington took it into their heads to remove the troops from Fort Crawford to Fort Snelling, and abandon the former. This measure was . then supposed to have been brought about on the representation of Col. Snelling of Fort Snelling, who disliked Prairie du Chien for difficulties he had with some of the principal inhabitants. During the winter there were confined in the guard-house at Fort Crawford two Winnebago Indians, for some of their sup- posed dishonest acts; but what they were charged with, I do not now recollect. At that time, as already mentioned, our mails from St. Louis, the east and south, came via Springfield to Galena, and the postmaster at Prairie du Chien sent to Galena for the mails of that place and Fort Snelling. An order would frequently arrive by steamboat countermanding a previous order for the abandonment of the fort, before the arrival of first order by mail, and this mat- ter continued during the summer of 1826, and until October, when a positive order arrived,

directing the commandant of Fort Crawford to abandon the fort, and proceed with the troops to Fort Snelling; and if he could not procure ransportation, to leave the provisions, ammu- nition and fort in charge of some citizen.

But a few days previous to this order, there had been an alarming report circulated, that the Winnebagoes were going to attack Fort Craw- ford, and the commandant set to work repairing the old fort, and making additional defenses. During this time the positive order arrived, and the precipitancy with which the fort was aban- doned during the alarm was communicated to the Indians through the half-breeds residing at or visiting the place, which naturally caused the Winnebagoes to believe that the troops had fled through fear of them. The commandant took with him to Fort Snelling the two Winne- bagoes confined in Fort Crawford, leaving be- hind some provisions, and all the damaged arms, with a brass swivel and a few wall pieces, in charge of John Marsh, the then sub-agent at this place.

The Winnebagoes, in the fall of 1826, ob- tained from the traders their usual credit for goods, and went to their hunting grounds ; but early in the winter a report became current among the traders that the Winnebagoes had heard a rumor that the Americans and English were going to war in the spring ; and hence they were holding councils to decide upon the course they should adopt, hunting barely enough to obtain what they wanted to subsist upon in the meantime.

Mr. Brisbois said to me several times dur- ing the winter, that he feared some outrages from the Winnebagoes in the spring, as from all he could gather they were bent on war, which I ought to have believed, as Mr. Brisbois had been among them engaged in trade over forty years. But I thought it impossible that the Winnebagoes, surrounded, as they were by Americans, and troops in the country, should for a moment seriously entertain such an idea. I supposed it a false aların, and gave myself

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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

very little uneasiness about it; but in the spring, when they returned from their hunts, I found that they paid much worse than usual, although they were not celebrated for much punctuality or honesty in paying their debts. It was a general custom with. the traders, when an Indian paid his debts in the spring pretty well, on his leaving, to let him have a little ammunition, either as a present or on credit. A Winnebago by the name of Wah-wah-peck- ah, had taken a credit from me, and paid me but a small part of it in the spring ; and when I reproached him, he was disposed to be impu- dent about it ; and when his party were about going, he applied to me as usual for ammunition for the summer, and insisted upon having some, but I told him if he had behaved well, and paid me his credit better, that I would have given him some, but that he had behaved so bad that I would not give him any, and he went away in a surly mood.

A man by the name of Methode, I think, a half-breed of some of the tribes of the north, had arrived here, sometime in the summer of 1826, with his wife, and, I think, five children ; and, sometime in March of 1827, he went with his family, np the Yellow or Painted Rock creek, about twelve miles above the Prairie, on the Iowa side of the Mississippi river, to make sugar. The sugar season being over, and he not returning, and hearing nothing from him, a party of his friends went to look for him, and found his camp consumed, and himself, wife and children burned nearly to cinders, and she at the time enciente. They were so crisped and cindered that it was impossible to deter- mine whether they had been murdered and then burned, or whether their camp had accidentally caught on fire and consumed them. It was generally believed that the Winnebagoes had murdered and burnt them, and Red Bird was suspected to have been concerned in it; but I am more inclined to think, that if murdered by Indians, it was done by some Fox war party searching for Sioux.

In the spring of this year, 1827, while a Chip- pewa chief called Hole-in-the-day, with a part 'of his band, visited Fort Snelling on business with the government, and while under the guns of the fort, a Sionx warrior shot one of the Chippewas. The Sioux was arrested by the troops, and confined in the guard-house. The Chippewas requested Col. Snelling to deliver the Sioux to them, to be dealt with after their manner; to which he agreed, provided they would give him a chance to run for his life. To this they acceded. The Sioux was sent outside of the fort, where the Chippewas were armed with tomahawks and war clubs. He was to be allowed a fair start, and at a signal started, and one of the swiftest of the Chippewas armed with a club and tomahawk after him, to overtake and kill him if he could, which he soon effected, as the Sioux did not run fast, and when overtaken made no resistance. The Winneba- goes hearing a rumor of this, got the news among them that the two Winnebagoes con- fined there (for the murder of Methode and family) had been executed.

During the spring of 1827, the reports abont the Winnebagoes bore rather a threatening as- pect; but, as I said before, situated as they were I did not believe they would commit any depredations. Under this belief, and having urgent business in New York to purchase my goods, I started for that city on the 25th of June; it then took about six months to go and return. Mine was the only purely American family at the prairie, after the garrison left. There was Thomas McNair, who had married a French girl of the prairie, and John Marsh, the sub-Indian agent, who had no family, and there were besides three or four Americans who had been discharged from the army. Without ap- prehension of danger from the Indians, I left my family, which consisted of Mrs. Lockwood, and her brother, a young man of between six- teen and seventeen years of age, who was clerk in charge of the store, and a servant girl be-

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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

longing to one of the tribes of New York civi- lized Indians settled near Green Bay.

I started to go by way of Green bay and the lakes for New York, in a boat up the Wiscon- sin, and down the Fox river to Green Bay; thence in a vessel to Buffalo, and down the canal to Albany, and thence by steamboat to New York city. About 4 o'clock in the after- noon of the first day's journey up the Wiscon- sin, I came to an island where were sitting three Winnebagoes smoking, the oldest called Wah-wah-peck-ah, who had a credit of me the fall previous and had paid but little of it in the spring; the other two were young men not known to me by name. They had some venison hanging on a pole, and we stopped to purchase it. As I stepped on shore I discovered an ap- pearance of cold reserve unusual in Indians in such meetings,and as I went up to them I said, 'bon jour' the usual French salutation, which they generally understood; but Wah-wah-peek- ah said that he would not say 'bon jour' to me. Upon which I took hold of his hand and shook it, asking him why he would not say, bon jour, to me? Ile inquired what the news was. I told him I had no news. He told me that the Win- nebagoes confined at Fort Snelling had been killed. I assured him that it was not true, that I had seen a person lately from that fort, who told me of the death of the Sioux, but that the Winnebagoes were alive. He then gave me to understand that if such was the case,it was well; but if the Winnebagoes were killed, they wonk avenge it. I succeeded in purchasing the venison, giving them some powder in exchange, and as I was about to step on board of my boat, Wah- wah-peck-ah wanted some whisky, knowing that we always carried some for our men.

I directed one of the men to give them each a drink, which Wah-wah-peck-ah refused, and taking up his eup that he had by him, he showed by signs that he wanted it filled; and believing that the Indians were seeking some pretense for a quarrel as an excuse for doing

mischief, I thought it most prudent under the circumstances to comply.

There were among the boats' erew some old royageurs, well acquainted with Indian manners and customs, who, from the conduct of these Indians, became alarmed. We, however, em- barked, watching the Indians, each of whom stood on the bank with his gun in his hand. As it was late in the day, we proceeded a few miles up the river and encamped for the night. As soon as the boat left the island, the three Indians each got into his hunting canoe, and the two young Indians came up on either side opposite the bow of the boat, and continued thus up the river until we encamped while Wah-wah-peck-ah kept four or five rods behind the boat. They eneamped with us, and com- menced running and playing with the men on the sand beach; and after a little the young Indians proposed to go hunting deer by candle- light, and asked me to give them some candles to hunt with, which I did, with some ammunition, and they promised to return with venison in the morning. After they had gone, Wah-wah- peek-ah proposed also to go hunting, and begged some candles and ammunition, but remained in camp over night. Morning came, but the young Indians did not return, and I saw no more of them. In the morning, after Wah-wah-peek-ah had begged something more, he started, pre- tending to go down the river, and went as we supposed; but about an hour afterward, as we were passing on the right of the upper end of the island on which we had oneamped, I saw Wah-wah-peck-ah coming up on the left. Ile looked very surly, and we exchanged no words, but we were all satisfied that he was seeking some good opportunity to shoot me, and from the singular conduct of the Indians, I and my men were considerably alarmed. But about 9 o'clock in the morning, meeting a band of In- dians from the portage of Wisconsin, who ap- peared to be glad to see me, and said they were going to Prairie du Chien, my fears with those of the men were somewhat allayed. I wrote

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with my pencil a hasty line to my wife, which the Indians promised to deliver, but they never did, as they did not go there.

This day, the 20th of June, we proceeded up the Wisconsin without seeing any Indians until we came near Prairie du Baie, when an Indian, alone in a hunting eanoe, came out of some nook and approached us. He was sullen, and we could get no talk out of him. We landed on Prairie du Baie, and he stopped also; and a few moments thereafter, a canoe of Menomonees arrived from Prairie du Chien, bringing a brief note from John Marsh, saying the Winnebagoes had murdered a man of mixed French and negro blood, named Rijeste Gagnier, and Solomon Lipcap, and for me, for God's sake, to return. I immediately got into the canoe with the Me- nomonees, and directed my men to proceed to the portage, and if I did not overtake them to go on to Green Bay. I proceeded down the river with the Menomontes, and when we had descended to the neighborhood where we had fallen in with the Indians the day before, we met Wah-wah-peck-ah coming up in his hunting canoe a'one, having with him his two guns. lle inquired if I was going to the Prairie. I told him I was. He then told me that the whiskey at the Prairie was shut up, but did not tell me of the murders, and asked me that should he come to the Prairie whether I would let him have some whiskey? I told him I certainly would if he brought some furs, not wishing then to make any explanation, or to enter into any argument with him.

About this time, we heard back of an island, and on the southern shore of the Wisconsin, the Winnebagoes singing their war songs and dance- ing, with which I was familiar; and so well satisfied was I that Wah-wah-peck-ah was only seeking a favorable opportunity to shoot me, that if I had had a gun where he met us, I be- lieve that I should have shot him. After talk- ing with him the Menomonees moved down the river, and arrived at the mouth of the Wiseon- sin about dark without seeing any more Winne-

bagoes. It was so dark that the Menomonees thought that we had better stop until morning, and we accordingly crawled into the bushes without a fire and fought mosquitoes all night, and the next morning, the 27th, proceeded to the Prairie. I went to my house and found it vacant, and went to the old village where I found my family and most of the inhabitants of the Prairie, assembled at the house of Jean Brunet, who kept a tavern. Mr. Brunet had a quantity of square timber about him, and the people proposed building breast-works with it.

I learned on my arrival at the Prairie that on the preceding day, the 26th, Red Bird, (who, when dressed, always wore ared coat and called himself English), went to my house with two other Indians, and entering the cellar kitchen, loaded their guns in the presence of the servant girl, and went up through the hall into Mrs. Lockwood's bed-room where she was sitting alone. The moment the Indians entered her room she believed they came to kill her, and immediately passed into and through the parlor, and crossed the hall into the store to her broth- er, where she found Duncan Graham, who had been in the country about forty years as a trader, and was known by all the Indians as an Eng- lishman. He had been a captain in the British Indian department during the War of 1812, and a part of the time was commandant at Prairie du Chien. The Indians followed Mrs. Lock- wood into the store, and Mr. Graham by some means induced them to leave the house.

They then proceeded to McNair's Coulee, about two miles from the village, at the lower end of Prairie du Chien, where lived Rijeste Gagnier ; his wife was a mixed blood of French and Sioux extraction, ith two children ; and living with him was an old discharged American soldier by the name of Solomon Lipcap. The Winneba- goes commenced a quarrel with Gagnier, and finally shot him, I believe, in the house. Lip- cap, at work hoeing in the garden near the house, they also shot. During the confusion, Mrs. Gagnier seized a gun, got out at the back

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window with her boy about three years old on her back, and proceeded to the village with the startling news. The cowardly Indians followed her a part of the way, but dared not attack her. On her arrival at the village a party went to the scene of murder, and found and brought away the dead, and the daughter of Mr. Gagnier, about one year old, whom the mother in her fright had forgotten. The Indians had scalped her and inflicted a severe wound in her neck, and left her for dead, and had thrown her un- der the bed, but she was found to be still alive. She got well, and arriving at womanhood got married, and has raised a family of children ; she is yet alive and her eldest daughter was but recently married.

The people had decided not to occupy the old fort, as a report had been circulated that the Indians had said that they intended to burn it if the inhabitants should take refuge there. During the day of the 27th, the people occupied themselves in making some breast-works of the timber about Mr. Brunet's tavern getting the swivel and wall pieces from the fort, and the condemned muskets and repairing them, and concluded they would defend themselves, each commanding, none obeying, but every one giv- ing his opinion freely.

About sunset one of the two keel-boats ar- rived that had a few days previously gone to Fort Snelling with supplies for the garrison, having on board a dead Indian, two dead men of the crew and four wounded. The dead and wounded of the erew were inhabitants of Prairie du Chien who had shipped on the up-bound trip. They reported that they had been attacked the evening before, about sunset, by the Win- nebago *Indians, near the month of Bad Ax *Ex-Gov. Reynolds, of Illinois, in bis volume of his Life and Times, thus states the immediate cause of this attack. That somewhere above Prairie Du Chien on their upward trip, they stopped at a large camp of Winnebago Indians, gave thein some liquor freely and got them drunk. when they forced six or seven squaws, stupelled with liquor, on board the boats, for corrupt and brutal purposes, and kept them during their voyage to Fort Snelling and on their return. When the Winnebago Indians hecame seber, and fully con- scions of the injury done them, they mustered all their forces, amounting to several hundred and attacked the foro- most of the descending boats in which their squaws were confined. But this story has since been proven to be without foundation.

river, and the boat received about 500 shots, judging from the marks on its bow and sides. The Indians were mostly on an island on the west of the channel, near to which the boat had to pass, and the wind blowing strong from the east, drifted the boat towards the shore, where the Indians were, as the steering oar had been abandoned by the steersman. During this time, two of the Indians succeeded in getting on board of the boat. One of them mounted the roof, and fired in from the fore part; but he was soon shot and fell off into the river. The other Indian took the steering oar and endeavored to steer the boat to the island. He was also shot and brought down in the boat where he fell. During all this time the Indians kept up a hot fire. The boat was fast drifting towards a sand bar near the shore, and they would all have been murdered had it not been for the brave, resolute conduct of an old soldier on board, called Saucy Jack (his surname I do not remember), who, during the hottest of the fire, jumped over at the bow and pushed the boat off, and where he must have stood the boat was literally covered with ball marks, so that his escape seemed a miracle. They also report- ed that early the day before the attack, they were lashed to the other boat drifting, and that they had grounded on a sand bar and separated, since which time they had not seen or heard anything of the other boat, and thought proba- bly that it had fallen into the hands of the In- dians.

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History of Crawford and Richland counties, Wisconsin, Part 31

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899. [from old catalog]; Union publishing company, Springfield, Ill., pub. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Springfield, Ill., Union publishing company Number of Pages: 1298

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899. [from old catalog]; Union publishing company, Springfield, Ill., pub. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Springfield, Ill., Union publishing company
Number of Pages: 1298