Category: Biographies

Wau-Bun: The Early Day in the Northwest

Panic at Green Bay--Tidings of Cholera--Green Bay Flies--Doyle, the Murderer--Death of Lieutenant Foster--A Hardened Criminal--Good News from the Seat of War--Departure for Home--Shipwreck at the Grand Chûte--A Wet Encampment--An Unexpected Arrival--Reinforcement of Volunteers...

Chapters

44. Chapter 44

Mr. Kinzie, having volunteered to accompany the troops in their march, had intrusted his family to the care of some friendly Indians, who promised to convey them in a boat aroun...

63. Chapter 63

What we had long anticipated of the sufferings of the Indians began to manifest itself as the spring drew on. Its extent was first brought to our knowledge by those who came in...

47. Chapter 47

It is well known that previous to the war of the Revolution the whole of the western portion of Pennsylvania was inhabited by different Indian tribes. Of these, the Delawares we...

43. Chapter 43

It was the evening of the 7th of April, 1812. The children of Mr. Kinzie were dancing before the fire to the music of their father's violin. The tea-table was spread, and they w...

50. Chapter 50

The third day of our journey rose brilliantly clear, like the two preceding ones, and we shaped our course more to the north than we had hitherto done, in the direction of _Big-...

42. Chapter 42

Fort Dearborn at that day consisted of the same buildings as at present.[21] They were, of course, in a better state of preservation, though still considerably dilapidated. They...

29. Chapter 29

It had been arranged that Judge Doty should accompany us in our boat as far as the Butte des Morts, at which place his attendant would be waiting with horses to convey him to Mi...

59. Chapter 59

We soon learned that a great panic prevailed at Green Bay on account of the Sauks. The people seemed to have possessed themselves with the idea that the enemy would visit this p...

58. Chapter 58

The danger had now become so imminent that my husband determined to send his family to Fort Howard, a point which was believed to be far out of the range of the enemy. It was in...

40. Chapter 40

It was late on the following day (March 13th) when we took leave of our kind hostess. She loaded us with cakes, good wishes, and messages to her sister Dixon and the children. W...

57. Chapter 57

A few weeks after our return, my husband took his mother to Prairie du Chien for the benefit of medical advice from Dr. Beaumont, of the U.S. Army. The journey was made in a lar...

49. Chapter 49

A great part of the command, with the cattle belonging to the officers and soldiers, had, a day or two previous to the time of our departure, set out on their march by land to G...

39. Chapter 39

The next morning, after a cheerful breakfast, at which we were joined by the Rev. Mr. Kent, of Galena, we prepared for our journey. I had reconciled my husband to continuing our...

36. Chapter 36

The payment was now over, and the Indians had dispersed and gone to their wintering grounds. The traders, too, had departed, laden with a good share of the silver, in exchange f...

38. Chapter 38

Having taken a tender leave of our friends, the morning of the 8th of March saw us mounted and equipped for our journey. The weather was fine--the streams, already fringed with...

56. Chapter 56

My husband's accounts of disbursements as Agent of the Winnebagoes, which he had forwarded to the Department at Washington, had failed to reach there, of which he received due n...

53. Chapter 53

Before we had any right to look for my husband's return, I one day received a message inviting me to come up to the new house. We all went in a body, for we had purposely stayed...

41. Chapter 41

We followed the old squaw to her lodge, which was at no great distance in the woods. I had never before been in an Indian lodge, although I had occasionally peeped into one of t...

28. Chapter 28

Our arrival at Green Bay was at an unfortunate moment. It was the time of a treaty between the United States Government and the Menomonees and Waubanakees. Consequently, not onl...

60. Chapter 60

The war was now considered at an end. The news of the battle of the Bad Axe, where the regulars, the militia, and the steamboat Warrior combined, had made a final end of the rem...

33. Chapter 33

Major and Mrs. Twiggs, and a few of the younger officers (for nearly all of the older ones were absent), with our brother Robert, or, as he is called throughout all the Indian t...

45. Chapter 45

It had been a stipulation of General Hull at the surrender of Detroit, which took place the day after the massacre at Chicago, that the inhabitants should be permitted to remain...

48. Chapter 48

At the age of fourteen the heroine of the foregoing story married Colonel McKillip, a British officer. This gentleman was killed near Fort Defiance, as it was afterwards called,...

61. Chapter 61

The Indians did not disperse after the ceremonies of the surrender had been gone through. They continued still in the vicinity of the Portage, in the constant expectation of the...

51. Chapter 51

The companies of the First Infantry, which had hitherto been stationed at Fort Winnebago, had before our arrival received orders to move on to the Mississippi as soon as relieve...

27. Chapter 27

Michilimackinac! that gem of the Lakes! How bright and beautiful it looked as we walked abroad on the following morning! The rain had passed away, but had left all things glitte...

62. Chapter 62

Agathe was the daughter of an Indian who was distinguished by the name of _Rascal_ Day-kau-ray. Whether he merited the appellation must be determined hereafter. He was brother t...

35. Chapter 35

There were two divisions of the Winnebago Indians, one of which was paid by the Agent, at the Portage, the other at Prairie du Chien, by General Street. The first, between four...

54. Chapter 54

The Indians, of whatever tribe, are exceedingly fond of narrating or listening to tales and stories, whether historical or fictitious. They have their professed storytellers, li...

55. Chapter 55

It must be remarked that in all Indian stories where two or more sisters are the _dramatis personae_, the elder is invariably represented as silly, ridiculous, and disgusting--t...

52. Chapter 52

Among the women of the tribe with whom we early became acquainted, our greatest favorite was a daughter of one of the Day-kau-rays. This family, as I have elsewhere said, boaste...

30. Chapter 30

Our encampment this night was the most charming that can be imagined. Owing to the heavy service the men had gone through in the earlier part of the day, we took but a short sta...

32. Chapter 32

The Butte des Morts, or Hillock of the Dead, was the scene long since[11] of a most sanguinary battle between the French and the Mis-qua-kees, or Foxes. So great was the carnage...

46. Chapter 46

Chicago was not, at the period of my first visit, the cheerful, happy place it had once been. The death of Dr. Wolcott, of Lieutenant Furman, and of a promising young son of Mr....

37. Chapter 37

Early in January the snow fell in great abundance. We had an unusual quantity at the Portage, but in "the diggings," as the lead-mining country was called, it was of an unheard-...

31. Chapter 31

The earth, the trees, and the shrubbery were all too much filled with the heavy rain which had fallen to allow us to think of encamping, so we made arrangements to bestow oursel...

26. Chapter 26

It was on a dark, rainy evening in the month of September, 1830, that we went on board the steamer "Henry Clay," to take passage for Green Bay. All our friends in Detroit had co...

34. Chapter 34

As the boats might be expected in a few days, it was thought best to begin at once what preparations were in my power towards housekeeping. These were simply the fitting and sew...

22. Chapter 22

Panic at Green Bay--Tidings of Cholera--Green Bay Flies--Doyle, the Murderer--Death of Lieutenant Foster--A Hardened Criminal--Good News from the Seat of War--Departure for Home...

12. Chapter 12

25. Chapter 25

15. Chapter 15

1. Chapter 1

10. Chapter 10

7. Chapter 7

23. Chapter 23

2. Chapter 2

11. Chapter 11

6. Chapter 6

16. Chapter 16

17. Chapter 17

20. Chapter 20

21. Chapter 21

24. Chapter 24

3. Chapter 3

4. Chapter 4

5. Chapter 5

8. Chapter 8

9. Chapter 9

14. Chapter 14

13. Chapter 13

18. Chapter 18

19. Chapter 19