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and capture their vessel, as it had all their valuable stores on board. But our commander, Col. McKay, rose from his snooze' came along rubbing his eyes, peremptorily ordering me to desist. One word from me would have caused mutiny. The American boat turned a point about a mile below, and landed to stop leakage, and prevent their sinking. Our cannon shot were now nearly all gone. So I got a quantity of lead from the village, and with a couple of brick made a mould, and cast a number of three-pound leaden balls. Meanwhile the Indians, were bringing in balls which the Americans had by their short shots, scattered about the prairie without effect. Our stores of provisions were getting low, our ammunition exhausted, but the fort and its contents we came to take, and must have them. At daylight the next morning, our gun was within one hundred and fifty yards of the pickets, with a small fire making an iron shot red hot. When they found themselves in a fair way to be burnt out, they surrendered. We took sixty-five prisoners, several iron guns, a small quantity of pork, flour, etc., together with a quantity of whisky. The casks containing the liquor, I stove in, fearing the Indians might get it, as they were thirsting for the blood of their enemies, and required some tact to keep their hands off from the American prisoners. We could not trust any of them inside the fort. The American empty boat was fitted up, and next morning at daylight, the prisoners were on their way to St. Louis, on parole; escorted by one of our lieutenants, [Brisbois] for a short distance. Now began the novel and much needed instruction as to guard-mounting, etc. The bombardier, and the old veteran were the only two persons in the whole batch that had any, correct knowledge of the science of war. Our commander, an old North West-ern, boiling inside, and roasting outside, for the thermometer stood at ninety-eight in the shade, constantly cursing and blaspheming all above and below, now took a bark canoe, with four men, and after giving his own name—McKay—to the fort, and transferring the command to me, took his leave to the joy of all concerned.
Object Description
Page Title | The British capture of Prairie du Chien during the War of 1812 |
Author | Anderson, Thomas Gummersall, 1779-1875 |
Source Creation Date | ca. 1870 |
Language | English |
Digital Format | XML |
Electronic Publisher | Wisconsin Historical Society |
Rights | We believe that online reproduction of this material is permitted because its copyright protection has lapsed or because sharing it here for non-profit educational purposes complies with the Fair Use provisions of the U.S. Copyright Law. Teachers and students are generally free to reproduce pages for nonprofit classroom use. For advice about other uses, or if you believe that you possess copyright to some of this material, please contact us at asklibrary@wisconsinhistory.org. |
Electronic Publication Date | 2004 |
Digital Identifier | TP026000 |
Description | Anderson was a British fur trader with alliances among the Sioux in the Upper Mississippi. When U.S. troops under William Clark fortified Prairie du Chien, he was one of three traders that the British put in charge of attacking it. These engaging recollections were written many years later, when he was quite elderly. They begin with a page describing his hunting exploits before the war began, and then relate his adventures at the Battle of Prairie du Chien, including his negotiations with Menominee and other Indian allies. For a contrasting view of these same events, see the memoir of French trader Augustin Grignon elsewhere on Turning Points. Anderson's complete recollections of life as a fur trader were printed in vol. 9 of Wisconsin Historical Collections. We've taken the typed transcript from that source, and a close comparison of the handwritten page images and the typed text will reveal how Lyman C. Draper, the editor of the printed version, occasionally condensed or re-wrote Anderson's prose. To see the original and the typed transcript side-by-side, click "Page & Text" while viewing any page. |
Owner | Wisconsin Historical Society Archives |
Format | Text |
Recommended Citation | Anderson, Thomas Gummersall. "The British Capture Prairie du Chien during the War of 1812." From the Draper Manuscripts at the Wisconsin Historical Society, (Draper 1Q241-250); online facsimile at http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=26 |
Document Number | TP026 |
Size | p. 62-71 |
URL | http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=26 |
Owner Collection | Main Stacks |
Owner Object ID | Draper Mss Q, v. 1, 1Q241-250; WIHV92-A106 |
Series | Draper manuscripts : Draper's historical miscellanies, 1720-1887 |
Genre | memoir |
County | Brown County; Columbia County; Crawford County; Dane County; Grant County; Green County; Iowa County; Marquette County; Outagamie County; Richland County; Sauk County; Winnebago County |
City | Green Bay; Prairie du Chien |
State/Province | Wisconsin; Michigan |
Gender | male |
Race and Ethnicity | Native Americans |
Sub-Topic | The War of 1812 |
Event Date | 1814 |
Event Years | 1814 |
Animals | Mammals; Marine animals; Reptiles |
Occupations | Pioneers |
Recreation | Hunting |
Transportation | Canoes and canoeing; Steamboats |
Manufacturing and Industry | Fur trade |
War | Battles; Fortification; War; War of 1812 |
Indian Tribe | Dakota (Sioux); Menominee; Sauk |
Type | Text |
Description
Page Title | 67 |
Author | Anderson, Thomas Gummersall, 1779-1875 |
Source Creation Date | ca. 1870 |
Language | English |
Digital Format | JPG |
Electronic Publisher | Wisconsin Historical Society |
Rights | We believe that online reproduction of this material is permitted because its copyright protection has lapsed or because sharing it here for non-profit educational purposes complies with the Fair Use provisions of the U.S. Copyright Law. Teachers and students are generally free to reproduce pages for nonprofit classroom use. For advice about other uses, or if you believe that you possess copyright to some of this material, please contact us at asklibrary@wisconsinhistory.org. |
Electronic Publication Date | 2004 |
Digital Identifier | TP026006 |
Owner | Wisconsin Historical Society Archives |
Format | Text |
Owner Collection | Main Stacks |
Owner Object ID | Draper Mss Q, v. 1, 1Q241-250 |
Full Text | and capture their vessel, as it had all their valuable stores on board. But our commander, Col. McKay, rose from his snooze' came along rubbing his eyes, peremptorily ordering me to desist. One word from me would have caused mutiny. The American boat turned a point about a mile below, and landed to stop leakage, and prevent their sinking. Our cannon shot were now nearly all gone. So I got a quantity of lead from the village, and with a couple of brick made a mould, and cast a number of three-pound leaden balls. Meanwhile the Indians, were bringing in balls which the Americans had by their short shots, scattered about the prairie without effect. Our stores of provisions were getting low, our ammunition exhausted, but the fort and its contents we came to take, and must have them. At daylight the next morning, our gun was within one hundred and fifty yards of the pickets, with a small fire making an iron shot red hot. When they found themselves in a fair way to be burnt out, they surrendered. We took sixty-five prisoners, several iron guns, a small quantity of pork, flour, etc., together with a quantity of whisky. The casks containing the liquor, I stove in, fearing the Indians might get it, as they were thirsting for the blood of their enemies, and required some tact to keep their hands off from the American prisoners. We could not trust any of them inside the fort. The American empty boat was fitted up, and next morning at daylight, the prisoners were on their way to St. Louis, on parole; escorted by one of our lieutenants, [Brisbois] for a short distance. Now began the novel and much needed instruction as to guard-mounting, etc. The bombardier, and the old veteran were the only two persons in the whole batch that had any, correct knowledge of the science of war. Our commander, an old North West-ern, boiling inside, and roasting outside, for the thermometer stood at ninety-eight in the shade, constantly cursing and blaspheming all above and below, now took a bark canoe, with four men, and after giving his own name—McKay—to the fort, and transferring the command to me, took his leave to the joy of all concerned. |
Event Date | 1814 |
Event Years | 1814 |
Type | Text |