History of Crawford and Richland counties, Wisconsin, Part 33

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 33
USA > Wisconsin > Crawford County > History of Crawford and Richland counties, Wisconsin > Part 33

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

The Indians then returned to the house, Paschal Menoir, who from his place of conceal- ment, had kept a close watch, noticing this, took the opportunity to make his way to the village. Ile reached exhausted, the house of Julian Lariviere; he there found Frank Dechu- quette, who mounted his horse and alarmed the people, who turned out to the rescue "en masse."

My mother in the meantime, alive to the necessity of making her escape, had left her hiding place, and unnoticed by the Indians, found fathers horse, and with Frank had mounted, and was searching for the road to the village, when she saw the people coming to the relief. The Indians after killing Lipcap, made their last return to the house. I had creeped from under the bed, to the door. Of the brutal treatment of myself, "Little Sun," in his testi- mony given at the trial of himself and the chief, "Red Bird," for these murders said, "that he first gave the child a kick on the left hip, and then with his gun barrel in his hands, struck her with the breech of the gun on the right shoulder, and with his knife struck her across the back of the neck, intending to behead her,

and carry the head away with him," at this moment the other Indians outside of the house shouted, that "people are coming." He said, "I then took her scalp and with it part of the skull," he then scalped my father, down whose dying face, he said the tears were flowing, at witnessing the horrid butchery of myself.

When the people from the village reached the house, my father was dead. The Indians were gone. I was lying in a pool of my own blood, and supposed to be dead. Julian, son of Julian Lariviere, wrapped me in his handker- chief, and carried me to his fathers house, where some hours later, when being washed preparatory to burial, I was first discovered to be alive, and by careful nursing and tender care, under kind Providence, was restored to health.

The motives which actuated the Indians to commit these terrible murders, are not fully understood. The family believed that an in- dignity received by "Little Sun," at the hands of Rigiste Gagnier, was the immediate cause. The facts on which this belief is based, are told by Mrs. Cherrier, as follows: "In those years whenever a Catholic priest would visit Prairie du Chien, to celebrate mass, a procession would be formed by all of our Catholic people, and would march in line to the house devoted to the services of the day. Upon one of these occasions, among the lookers on was the Winnebago chief, "Little Sun" intentionally or otherwise. He was in the line of march, and as the head of the procession reached him, re- fused to move. Some confusion ensued. My father leaving his place in the line, advanced to the front, and seizing the chief, threw him one side with such force as eaused him to fall to the ground. Arising with a murderous look and tone, "Little Sun" said, "you have thrown me down, but when I throw you down, you will never get up again."

My first husband's name was Moreanx. He died in 1855. By that marriage, we had ten

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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

children, seven of whom are now living. I was married to Mr. Cherrier, March 1, 1862. We have had three children-Magdalene, born Dec. 6, 1863 ; Felix, born Oct. 7, 1865; and Louisa, born Feb. 29, 1868. The last named died in infancy.

My mother married again in 1831. Her second husband's name was St. Germain. They had two children-David and Hattie. My mother died in 1836 with the small-pox. My step-father died in Jannary, 1882. Pascal Menoir died in Prairie du Chien, in 1882.

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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

CHAPTER VII.

THE BLACK HAWK WAR.

To the people of Crawford county the brief contest between a portion of the Sac and Fox Indians and the Americans, in 1832, known from the name of the leader of the savages as the Black Hawk War, promises more than usual interest, for the reason that, within the limits of the county, as then constituted, oc- eurred one of the principal incidents of the war. In the outline history of Wisconsin, previously given, a brief sketch of the hostile movements of both parties engaged in the work of death, will be found ; but, at this point, it is proposed to enter more into detail.

Black Hawk's return from the west side of the Mississippi, and his moving up Roek river, caused the mustering into the service of the United States, in Illinois, of about 800 volun- teers, who were sent in pursuit. Gen. Il. At- kinson, brevet brigadier general in the United States Army, followed the militia with his reg- ulars, but at too great a distance to afford sup- port. On the 12th of May the volunteers reached Dixon's ferry, where they were joined by 275 men from the northern counties of the State. The latter force, however, were imme- diately sent out on scouting duty. But the two battalions still moved along together until Stillman's run was reached ; the creek then be- ing known as Kishwaukee, about thirty miles above the ferry.

BATTLE OF STILLMAN'S RUN.

Black Hawk now made advances for peace, but two his messengers being killed, the ne- gotiations were broken off. That chief at this

time had but forty men under his immediate command, most of his party being some ten miles away ; nevertheless, with his handful of warriors, he started back to meet his pursuers. Raising the war-whoop, he rushed in upon the volunteers and scattered them in every direc- tion. The fugitives, in their flight, did not stop until the ferry was reached. This was afterward known as "the battle of Stillman's Run," of May 14, 1832. The governor of Illį- nois issued a proclamation immediately after, calling foran additional force of 2,000 mounted volunteers. These incidents caused throughout the west the greatest alarm. The loss of the Indians in this, the first battle of the war, was none. Of the volunteers, one major, one captain and nine of the rank and file were killed, and five men wounded.

On the 17th of May, Gen. Atkinson reached Dixon's ferry with his regulars and a supply of provisions ; and on the 19th, with 2,400 men, advanced up Roek river. On the 27th and 28th of the month, the volunteers were disbanded by the governor, leaving the defense of the frontiers in the hands of the regular troops and a few citizens who had volunteered temporarily. Meanwhile the savages were waging war in earnest against the exposed settlements. Their war parties were scattered from Chicago to Galena; from the Rock river to the lead mines. It was a warfare in regular Indian style ; there was suecess first on one side, then on the other; until on the 24th of June, Black Hawk made an unsuccessful attack on Apple River Fort, near

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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

the present village of Elizabeth, III. Mean- while the volunteers called out by the governor of Illinois were assembling and ordered to ren- dezvous at Dixon's ferry, where they were mus- tered into the service of the United States and formed into three brigades. The contest now began to assume somewhat the appearance of regular war. But, before we proceed to nar- rate the aggressive movements of the Ameri- cans up the Rock river valley in pursuit of Black Hawk and his band, it is proper to more particularly describe the incident which oc- curred in various localities where the savages carried on their depredations previously.

In the night of the 17th of June a volunteer company encamped near Burr Oak Grove, thirty-five miles east of Galena, was fired on by the enemy. The next morning they started in pursuit of the savages, and succeeded in killing all of them-four in number-with the loss on their part of only one man. However, later in the day they were attacked by the Indians in considerable force, losing two killed and one wounded ; but they beat off the assailants and killed their leader.

BATTLE OF PECATONICA.

On the 14th of June a party of men were attacked in a cornfield near the mouth of Spof- ford's creek, and five killed. Two days after Col. Henry Dodge, with twenty-eight men, struck the trail of the savages, overtaking them on the bank of the Pecatonica in what is now Lafayette ('o., Wis. The savages numbered seventeen, and all were killed. Dodge's loss was three killed. This was, all things consid- ered, the most. spirited and effective fighting done during "the war." Capt. James W. Ste- phenson, at the head of the Galena volunteers, being on the lookout for Indians near the head of Yellow creek, lost three of his men and was obliged to retreat. This ended what may be called the irregular fighting of the campaign. We now return to Rock river, up the valley of

which Black Hawk and his force had moved and the Americans just commencing pursuit.

THE PURSUIT OF BLACK HAWK.

A battalion of spies was the first body or- dered forward. They reached Kellogg's grove, and were informed on the morning of the 25th of June that a heavy trail was to be seen of the enemy not far away. Twenty-five men went out to reconnoitre, and were defeated, leaving five killed and three wounded, though the enemy's loss is said to have been nine killed. The enemy now retired up the river in the di- rection of Lake Koshkonong, in Wisconsin ; and the fighting in Illinois was ended. The first halt made by Black Hawk was at what was afterward known as "Black Hawk Grove," just outside of the present city of Janesville, Rock Co., Wis., where his forces remained some time in camp. It must not be understood that they were now at their former homes. This was not the case. It was not then the country claimed by the Sacs, but by the Rock River Winnebagoes.

Gen. Atkinson having arrived at the mouth of the Pecatonica, in pursuit of the savages, and hearing that the Sac chief was further up Rock river, determined to follow him with the intention of deciding the campaign by a general battle if possible. Black Hawk, judging of his intentions from the report of his spies, broke up his camp and retreated still further up the river, to the foot of Lake Koshkonong, where on the west side of the river, in what is now the town of Milton, he again formed a camp. Here he remained some time, when he again moved, this time to an island in the lake, still known as Black Hawk's island. It is in the southeast corner of the town of Sumner, in Jef- ferson Co., Wis. Black Hawk afterward made his way still further up the valley of Rock river.

But now let us return to the army under Gen. Atkinson, in its march from the mouth of the Pecatonica to Lake Koshkonong, where he found the Sac chief had eluded him. The re-

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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

cital is best given in the words of one who was in the army at the time and marched under At- kinson:

"The 30th of June, 1832, we passed through the Turtle village [now the city of Beloit, Rock Co., Wis.] which is a considerable Winnebago town, but it was deserted. We marched on about a mile and encamped on the open prairie near enough to Rock river to get water from it. We here saw very fresh signs of the Sae In- dians, where they had apparently been fishing on that day. Gen. Atkinson believed we were close to them and apprehended an attack that night. The sentinels fired several times, and we were as often paraded and prepared to receive the enemy, but they never came, though from the accounts given by the sentinels to the officers of the day, there was no doubt that Indians had been prowling about the camp.

"July 1 .- We had not marched but two or three miles before an Indian was seen across Rock river at some distance off, on a very high prairie, which, no doubt, was a spy, and likely was one that had been prowling about our en- campment the night before. We proceeded a few miles further, and came to the place where the Indians, who had taken the two Misses Hall prisoners, had staid for several days [near the site of the present city of Janesville]. It was a strong position where they could have with- stood a very powerful force. We afterward discovered they always encamped in such places. We had not marched but a few miles from this place before one of our front scouts came back meeting the army in great haste, and stated that they had discovered a fresh trail of Indians, where they had just gone along in front of us. Maj. Ewing, who was in front of the main army some distance, immediately formed his men in line of battle, and marched in that order in advance of the main army, about three- quarters of a mile. We had a very thick wood to march through, where the under-growth stood very high and thick; the signs looked very fresh and we expected every step to be

fired upon from the thickets. We marched in this order about two miles, not stopping for the unevenness of the ground or anything else, but keeping in line of battle all the time, until we found the Indians had scattered; then we resumed our common line of march, which was in three divisions. Soon after we had formed into three divisions, the friendly Indians that were with us raised an aların, by seven or eight of them shooting at a deer, some little in ad- vance of the army. The whole army here formed for action; but it was soon ascer- tained that these children of the forest had been at what their whole race seems born for, shoot- ing at the beasts of the woods.

"We here encamped by a small lake [Storr's] this night, and had to drink the water, which was very bad, but it was all that could be found. Here a very bad accident happened. One of the sentinels, mistaking another that was on post, with a blanket wrapped around him, for an Indian, shot him just below the groin, in the thick of the thigh. At first the wound was thought mortal. I understood before I left the army that the man was nearly well. Here Gen. Atkinson had, on this night, breastworks thrown up, which was easily done, as we were encamped in thick, heavy timber. This was a precaution which went to show that he set a great deal by the lives of his men, and by no means was any mark of cowardice; for generalship consists more in good management than anything else.

"July 2 .- We started this morning at the usual time, but went only a few miles before Maj. Ewing, who was still in front with his battalion (of scouts), espied a very fresh trail, making off at about a left angle. He dispatched ten men from the battalion, in company with Capt. George Walker and a few Indians, to pur- sue it and see, if possible, where it went to. He moved on in front of his battalion a short dis- tance further, when he came to the main Sac trail of Black Hawk's whole army, which ap- peared to be abont two days old.

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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

"Capt. Early, who commanded & volunteer independent company, and had got in advance this morning, called a halt; so did Maj. Ewing with his battalion. Then Maj. Ewing sent back one of his staff officers for the main army to call a halt for a few minutes. He, with Maj. Ander- son, of the infantry, Capt. Early and Jonathan H. Pugh, went a little in advance, when Maj. Anderson, with a telescope, took a view across the lake, as we had now got to Lake Koshko- nong. [The army entered what is now Jeffer- son county, very nearly where, in going north, its south line is crossed by the Chicago & North- western Railway. The trail, after leaving the southeast quarter of section 35, in township 5 north, of range 13 east, ran nearly due north to the southeast corner of section 26, in the same township and range, where the army reached the lake in what is now the town of Koshko- nong]. They then discovered three Indians ap- parently in their canoes.

'Maj. Ewing went himself and informed Gen. Atkinson what discovery was made, and requested Gen. Atkinson to let him take his battalion around through a narrow defile that was between two of those lakes, where we sup- posed the Indians were. By this time our scouts, who had taken the trail that led off on our left, returned, bringing with them five white men's scalps. They followed the Indian trail until it took them to a large Indian encampment that they had left a few days before. They reached it; the scalps were sticking against some of the wigwams; some of them were identified; but I do not recollect the names of any, except one, which was said to be an old gentleman by the name of Ilall.

"Maj. Ewing then marched his battalion about a mile, where the pass on the side of the lake appeared so narrow that he dismounted his men and had the horses all tied, and a few men left to guard them. The rest of us marched on foot about one mile through a narrow defile on the (cast) bank of the Koshkonong lake. This was considered a dangerous procedure, but Maj.

Ewing, who was in front with Maj. Anderson, would have been first in danger. He now found that we were getting too far in advance of our horses; so Maj. Ewing sent a part of the men back for them. When we mounted our horses, we were joined by Capt. Early and his inde- pendent corps. We then marched some distance around the (Koshkonong) lake and went in be- tween two of them, in a narrow defile until we found another deserted encampment. We now saw clearly that the Indians were gone from the Koshkonong lake; so, the next thing to be done was to find in which direction they had steered their course.

"Gen. Atkinson having been re-enforced by Gen. Alexander, took up his line of march, ar- riving at the burnt village on the 6th of July. That evening, Gen. Posey's brigade, in compa- ny with Col. Dodge's squadron, joined Atkin- son. Col. John Ewing and his regiment eame within a mile and a half of the main army and encamped. On the 10th, Gen. Atkinson sent Col. Ewing with his regiment down Rock river to Dixon's; Gen. Posey, with the rest of his brigade, was dispatched to Fort Hamilton; while Col. Henry and his brigade, Gen. Alex- ander's brigade and Col. Dodge's squadron were sent to Fort Winnebago, now Portage, Columbia Co., Wis., for provisions. Atkinson dropped down a short distance from the burnt village and built a stockade fort, which he called Fort Koshkonong. It was located on the south side of Rock river in the eastern outskirts of the present village of Fort Atkinson, Jeffer- son Co., Wis. Alexander returned from Fort Winnebago by the direct route, while Dodge and Henry took a more easterly one, striking Rock river at a point where there was a small Winnebago village, now Hustisford, Dodge county, which point was reached July 18. Infor- mation was here obtained that Black Hawk was at Cranberry lake, farther up the river. This was believed to be reliable, and an express was started down the stream at once, to inform Gen. Atkinson of the Sae chief's whereabouts. The

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express came very unexpectedly, 'at a dis- tance not more than eight miles from the start- ing point, upon the trail of Black Hawk, mak- ing his way down the river. The express re- turned to the army with the news, and the next morning, July 19, the pursuit began."

BLACK HAWK PURSUED TO THE WISCONSIN.

In the march in pursuit of the enemy, the Americans crossed the Crawfish near what is now Aztalan, in Jefferson Co., Wis., and were of course soon in what is now Dane county. But the account of the march is best told by one who participated in the pursuit;

"July 19, 1832 .- This day we had for about twelve miles, the worst kind of a road. To look at it appeared impossible to march an army through it. Thickets and swamps of the worst kind we had to go through, but the men had something now to stimulate them. They saw the Sac trail fresh before them, and the pros- pect of bringing our campaign to an end. There was no murmuring, no excuses were made, none getting on the sick report. If we came to a swamp that our horses were not able to carry us through, we dismounted, turned our horses before us and stepped in ourselves, sometimes up to our arm-pits in mud and water. In this way we marched with great celerity. In the evening of this day, it commenced thundering, lightning and raining tremendously. We stopped not, but pushed on. The trail appeared to be still getting fresher and the ground bet- ter, which still encouraged us to overcome every difficulty found in the way. It continued rain- ing until dark, and, indeed, until after dark. We now saw the want of our tents, a great num- ber of us having left this necessary article be- hind in the morning, in order to favor our horses.

"The rain ceased before day, and it turned cold and chilly. In the morning we rose early, at the well-known sound of the bugle, and pre- pared in a very short time our rude breakfast, dried our clothes a little, and by 7 o'clock, [July 20th], were on the march at a quick pace. On

this day some of our seouts took an Indian as a prisoner. On examination he was found to be a Winnebago. He stated that Black Hawk was but a little distance ahead of us; and that he had seen some of his party not more than two miles ahead. But it was a bad piece of conduct on our part that this Indian was not kept as a prisoner of war, but was set at liberty and let go, no doubt, that he might inform the Sacs of our pursuit.

"We halted and the order of battle was formed as we expected we would overtake them this evening. The order was as follows: Gen. Dodge and Maj. Ewing were to bring on the battle. Maj. Ewing was placed in the cen- ter with his spy battalion, Capt. Gentry and Capt. Clark's companies on our right, and Capt. Camp and Capt. Parkinson on our left. Our own battalion [ Maj. Ewing's] was reduced to two companies [as Capt. Wells and his com- pany had been left at Fort Dixon]; Capt. Lind- say, of our own battalion, was placed on the right and Capt. Huston's company on the left; Col. Fry and his regiment on the right, and Col. Jones, with his regiment, on the left, and Col. Collins in the center. In this order we marched in quick time, with all possible speed, in hope t: at we would overtake the enemy on that evening. We were close to the Four lakes (in what is now Dane Co., Wis.) and we wished to come up with them before they could reach that place, as it was known to be a stronghold for the Indians; but the day was not long enough to accomplish this desirable object.

"We reached the first of the Four lakes [now known as Lake Monona, or Third lake] about sun-down. Gen. Henry here called a halt and consulted with Pouquet [ Peter Pauquette], our pilot, as to the country we were approaching. Panquette, who was well acquainted with this country, told him he could not get through af- ter night ; that we had to march close to the margin of the lake for some distance, as the underwood stood so thiek one man could not see another ten steps. Gen. Henry concluded

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to encamp here until the break of day. Gen. Dodge sent Capt. Dixon on ahead with a few men to see if they could make any discovery of the enemy, who returned in a very short time and stated that they had seen the enemy's rear guard about one mile and a half distant. Gen Henry gave strict orders for every man to tie up his horse, so as to be ready to start as soon as it was daylight. The order was strictly obeyed; and after we took our frugal supper all re- tired to rest except those who had to mount guard, for we had marched a great way that day, and many were still wet by the rain that fell the preceding night ; but being very much fatigued, we were all soon lost in sleep, except those on guard.

"July 21, at the break of day, the bugle sounded, and all were soon up and in a few minutes had breakfast ready, and, after taking a little food, we mounted our horses and again commenced the pursuit. We soon found that the pilot had told us no lie, for we found the country that the enemy was leading us into to be worse, if possible, than what he told us. We could turn neither to the right nor left, but were compelled to follow the trail the Indians had made, and that, too, for a great distance at the edge of the water of the lake. We had not marched more than five miles before Dr. Phil- leo came back, meeting us, with the scalp of an Indian. . He had been on ahead with the front scouts, and came on this Indian, who had been left as a rear guard to watch our movements. There were several shots fired at him about the same time, and I suppose all hit him, from the number of bullet holes that were in him ; but Dr. Philleo had scalped him, so he was called Philleo's Indian, which reminds me of the hunters : 'He who draws the first blood is en- titled to the skin, and the remainder to the car- cass, if there are several in the chase,' which was the case at this time."

Leaving our journalist for a moment, we will deseribe the particulars of the march from the time the Catfish creek, or rather the Yahara, as

it is legally called, was reached until the army left the Fourth lake, the most northerly of the Four lakes, properly ealled Lake Mendota. In the timber skirting the Yahara, the Americans overtook the rear guard of the flying foe, where an Indian was wounded, who crept away and hid himself in the thick willows, where he died. A scouting party of fourteen men was sent for- ward and preceded the main body about two miles. When they arrived at the point now the site of Madison, the capital of Wisconsin, an Indian was seen coming up from the water's edge, who seated himself upon the bank, appar- ently indifferent to his fate. In a moment after his body was pierced with bullets, one of which passed in at the temple and out of the back part of his head. On examination it was found that he was sitting upon a newly made grave, probably that of his wife, who had perhaps died of fatigue, hunger and exhaustion, and her dis- consolate companion had resolved to await the advancing foe and die there also. The trail was followed around the southern end of Lake Mendota (or Fourth lake), passing a little north of what is now the Capital Park, and along the lake across the University grounds. A few miles brought them to what appeared an ad- mirable position for a battle field with natural defenses and places of ambush. It had been chosen by the enemy and here they' had lain apparently the previous night. This spot was afterward laid ont as the city of Four Lakes. It is about three-fourths of a mile north of the present village of Pheasant Branch, in Dane county. We now return to the journal, from which we broke off to relate these particulars.

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History of Crawford and Richland counties, Wisconsin, Part 33

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