History of Crawford and Richland Counties, Wisconsin. Together with sketches of their towns and villages, educational, civil, military and political history; portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens.

              HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.
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in another part of the territory.    While hiere he organized Trinity Church.
In the fall of this year Col. Z. Taylor, with his regiment, left this fort for Florida, and Gen. Brooke assumed command. As "new lords make new laws" so a little incident con¬ nected with this change shows how the public money is sometimes disposed of. Gen. Brooke thought the house in which Col. Taylor, with a large family, had lived for many years, was not good enough for him, and he applied to tha de¬ partment of war for a new house. The answer was, "no, can't afford it; repair the old one." To do this the old house was entirely removed, or torn down, except the cellar, and over this a new building was erected, costing $7,000, under the head or repairs. This house, with all thf^ government land, was subsequently sold, being bought by John Lawler, the house remodeled and the grounds improved.
Many humorous anecdotes are related cf Tay¬ lor and his method of punishing slight offences, while in command of Fort Crawford. The method was styled "wooling," and consisted in taking hold of the man's ears and shaking him. A soldier named Brady made a wager with a comrade that the colonel would not "wool" him. The man greased his ears well and dur¬ ing parade put himself in the way of punish¬ ment. Taylor rushed at him, caught him by the ears, but they slipped from his grasp, again and again he attempted to clutch them, but in vain, he could no more hold them than he could hold an eel, and he gave up the effort in di?;- gust. Brady won his wager, escaped the "wool¬ ing," but his ruse gained him the guard house.
8. A. Palmer, of Pottsville, Pa., was here in 1836, and relates that there were 300 troops at the fort, four substantial stone buildings, each 200 feet lono:, forming a square ; a few mean houses, tenanted by a miserable-set of French and Indians.
[1837.]
Capt. F. Marryat, the English novelist, came from   Green   Bay   to   Fort Winnebago   in
I
June, 1837, and from the latter place to Prairie dn Chien with a party bringing provisions for the fort. While here he visited th« mounds. He remained a week at the fort, which he says is a mere enclosure, intended to repel the at¬ tacks of Indians, but is large and commodious, and the quarters of the officers are excellent, built of stone, which is not the case at Fort Winnebago or Fort Howard. [1846.]
This year, 1846, and the succeeding year, Fort Crawford was garrisoned by a company of volunteers under Capt. Wiram Knowlton, the regular troops having gone to Mexico. Con¬ cerning this occupancy, Mr. Fonda says :
"It was this same year [1846] that the affairs with Mexico came to a head; war was declared, and volunteers were raised throughout the country. Orders were received from the secre¬ tary of war to raise a company to occupy Fort Crawford during the trouble with Mexico. A company was enli'sted under Brevet-Maj. A. S.IIove.*
"Wiram Knowlton was captain, Charles Bris¬ bois, first lieutenant; and on the 3d day of September, 1836,1 received a second lieutenant's commission from Gov. Henry Dodge. The in¬ ferior officers were sergts. D. Gary, F. N. Grouchy and E. Warner; and corporals W. R. Curts, A. Tilow, B. Fox and J. A. Clark ; the whole number of men in the company was seventy-three. The men were a little aristo¬ cratic, and they all wanted to wear officers's uniform ; but after the one year (which was the term of enlistment) had expired, a new company was mustered by Major Garland, and placed under the command of Capt. Knowlton, who maintained the strictest of military disci¬ pline. This company was styled the Dodge Guards, and was commanded by the officers of the first company."
* Alexander S, Hove, a Virginian, was a cadet in 1833; entered the army as brevet second lieutenant 1827 ; first lieutenant, 1833 ; captain, 1^8 ; was distinguished in the battles of Palo Alto and Rasacade la Palma, in the latter of which he lost an arm, and, breveted major. He died at Baton Rpn^e, La., Dec, 9, 1847.