History of Vernon County, Wisconsin. Together with sketches of its towns and villages, educational, civil, military and political history; portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens.

              374
HISTORY[^OF VERNON COUNTY.
to be encamped twenty-five or thirty miles above Prairie du Chien. This morning before day the steamboat enterprise, with a military command, came by my encampment and took myself and crew on board. Before arriving at the place where the Indians had been encamped, we found that they had been gone for several days, and  had removed   some  distance  above.
"We therefore continued on up a considerable distance, passing several lodges at different points until we came to the principal camp, on the east side ot the river, supposed to be sixty miles above Prairie du Chien. I communicated your message to all the Indians I saw on the way, who readily promised to obey your in¬ structions.
"At the principal camp I found Washington Decori with a considerable part of the tribe from the Wisconsin and Kickapoo rivers. I immediately informed them of your request, and desired them to get ready as soon as possible and go to the agency. They manifested entire willingness to do so, but said some of their party were out hunting, and would be in at night, for whom they wished to wait,, so that all might come together. They promised very positively, that they would start as soon as the hunters should arrive, and would certainly see you by the middle of the afternoon to-morrow. Alter some conversation about their starting this evening, and their still objecting to do so until the hunters came in, Lieut. Abercrombie told them that he would wait until sunset for them to get ready, and if they did not start by that time, he would take all their canoes and bring them down with the steamboat. About two hours after this they concluded to start and let the hunters come on after them; and after seeing all the canoes move off, we started on our return, and reached this place at 9 o'clock this evening. The Indians whom I saw will be here to-morrow by 12 o'clock. They had not heard of the battle on the Wisconsin,- but appeared to be highly gratified and pleased at the news."
The next day, July 27th, Gen. Street ordered Mr. Burnett to "proceed with Washington Decori to LaCrosse, and such other points as you may deem important, and tell the Winne¬ bagoes I wish to see them at the agency. I wish Winneshiek certainly to come. Much must be left to your own judgment in the case. The object is to get what information you can relative to the Sauks and Foxes, and to draw all the Winnebagoes from the Upper Mississippi, and with them the means of passing the river. If you can, extend the news to the Sioux."
The following day Mr. Burnett reported to Gen. Street: "In obedience to your order of yesterday, I went on board the steamer Enter¬ prise last evening, and started for LaCrosse. We arrived early this morning at the entrance of the lower mouth of Black river and found the Winnebagoes encamped on the shore. I took Wekon Decori, and went on shore immedi¬ ately to see the Indians. I found the one- eyed Decori and the Litte Thunder at the lodges, but found that most of the band had left the village sometime since. Winneshiek and Waumarnarsar, with about fifteen men and their families, had been gone near a month to hunt and dry meat about fifty miles up LaCrosse and Black rivers. The rest of the band were in the camp. I told them that you wished to see them immediately; that the Americans under Gen. Dodge had defeated the Sauks and Foxes on the Wisconsin, and after killing a great many, bad driven them across the river; that the defeated Indian's were endeavoring to make their escape to the Mississippi for the purpose of crossing it and regaining their own country; and that it was probable they would attempt to reach that point, that they might get the Winnebago canoes to cross in, and that they, must get away from that place before the Sauks and Foxes arrived.
"They said they would come down immedi¬ ately on the return of the absent party; that they were afraid of the Sauks, and did not wish to leave a small part of their band behind, who