Wisconsin Historical Collections, Volume IX (1882)

              324 wisconsin state historical society with this warfare were observed by the early settlers of wiscon sin one of which i witnessed and will relate in the month of may 1830 with my family i visited prairie du chien on the mississippi ; we were guests of the late joseph kolette then a trader and agent of the american fur company one evening a few days after our arrival we were startled by hearing the continual and successive reports of fire-arms appar ently on the mississippi below the firing continued for an hour or more and was succeeded by sounds of indian drums and savage yells with an occasional discharge of guns the family having retired at the usual time were aroused from their slumbers about mid-night by hearing foot-steps on the piazza conversation in the indian language and finally by knocking on the door and window shutters mr rolette immediately arose and went out to ascertain the cause of the disturbance when he was informed that a bloody battle had been fought and the visi tors were the victors and had called up their trader to inform him of their victory and to obtain the necessary spirit water to celebrate the glorious event in regular savage style their wants were supplied of course when they took their leave but not to sleep neither could we sleep as the warriors kept up through the night a most horrible pow-wow enlivened by savage yells — all plainly within our hearing in the morning we heard the particulars of the savage fight and during the day witnessed one of the most disgusting and re volting exhibitions that human beings could display on the day before the battle or rather mas3acre a war party of some twenty or twenty-five sioux encamped on an island oppo site prairie du chien they were there joined by a few menom onees who volunteered to assist their friends the sioux it appears that the latter had previously received information that on that day a party of sacs and foxes their inveterate enemies would leave their village situated on the mississippi some dis tance below prairie du chien — intending to visit the latter place ; and that they would encamp for the night at a regular camping ground near the mouth of the wisconsin river in the afternoon of that day the sioux war party embarked in