Wisconsin Historical Collections, Volume IX (1882)

              personal narrative of capt thomas g/anderson early experiences in the north-west fur trade — british capture of prairie du chien 1814 thomas gummersall andersoo whose name figures conspicuously in con nection with the british capture of prairie du chien in 1814 was born at sorel in lower canada nov 12 1779 his father samuel anderson at the commencement of the american revolution sympathizing with the mother country received a commission in the king's royal regiment of new york was wounded at bunker hill and subsequently served under sir john john son settling in cornwall upper canada after the war he held many local offices and died in 1832 at the venerable age of ninety-seven years when the son thomas was but a mere child the father procured for him a commission as a cadet in his father's company in the king's royal regi ment at the age of fifteen he became a clerk in 1795 in the store of thomas markland in kingston remaining with him five years when he resolved as he expressed it to enter upon u the battle of life " in the wild and almost trackless forests of the great north west his narrative and journal the former of which written apparently about the year 1870 give many interesting glimpses of the indian trade frontier life and traits of indian character in wisconsin and minnesota from sixty-eight to eighty-two years ago and throw much new light on the british expedition to and capture of prairie du chien in 1814 and the repulse of the american expedition designed for its re-capture at the sauk rapids of the mississippi they have never before been in print and our historical society is indebted to his daughter mrs sophia rowe for the interesting narrative and to o h marshall esq of buffalo for a copy of the valuable journal after the removal of the indian agency from drum mond island to penetanguishine and that vicinity in november 1828 capt anderson continued in the employ of his government attending to the wants of the indians of his charge providing comfortable houses for their use and the necessary means of education and civilization in 1836 the plan of settling the indians in that part of canada on the great manitoulin island on the northern border of lake huron was inaugurated ; and capt anderson was placed in charge of the establishment where he remained until 1845 when he was appointed visiting superintendent of indian affairs and pay er of annuities which he held until june 30 1858 — thus serving fifty eight years on the frontiers as a trader and in the indian department his experiences in indian life were large and various he thoroughly studied the indian character treating the red men with kindness when 10 — hist