Wisconsin Historical Collections, Volume VIII (1879)

              312 wisconsin state historical society of which has never been published and i think the causes that led to it and the incidents connected therewith are known to very few people now living in 1831 in violation of a treaty stipulation the s'auk and pox indians under black hawk and the prophet crossed the missis sippi into illinois black hawk was a fox indian and the prophet was a winnebago who with a small band became dis contented and left the winnebagoes and joined the sauk and fox tribes where they had intermarried and became part of the same tribe gen atkinson was ordered to remove them they offered to go back and remain for sixty thousand bushels of corn and as com was only five cents a bushel he gave it to them and they retired the following summer thinking to get sixty thousand bushels of corn quite easily they again crossed the river and again geri atkinson was ordered to remove them instead of buying corn for them he ordered all the available troops into the field and the president ordered out the illinois militia under the command of gen henry and gen alexander all under the command of gen atkinson the indians started up rock river pursued by the troops committiug occasional depredations as they went along after they got into wisconsin the troops lost track of them and gen atkinson continued up rock river to where the village of fort atkinson now stands where he established his headquarters and built a temporary fort in the meantime black hawk learning from the winnebagoe who also promised to assist him that only thirty men remained in fort winnebago determined to burn it and massacre its in mates they accordingly came and encamped on the fox river about four miles above swan lake and about eight miles from the fort every possible means that could be devised was adopted to protect the fort and save the lives of the inhabitants most of whom were women and children ; but after all had been done that was possible the commanding officer concluded that without re-inforcements we would be lost and determined to send to gen atkinson for troops i was selected for that duty for several reasons ; among whicla was my thorough acquaintance with the