Washington County, Minnesota - Chapter 13: Ttd3 Valley of Thk Upper Mississippi During Second War with Great 11rttain, 1881

Chapter 13: Ttd3 Valley of Thk Upper Mississippi During Second War with Great 11rttain

Dtcksoo «nJ other trader* hoatilo - American itockod* at Prairie du Clilrn - Port j Sbribf nimndcr* to Lt. Col. WilUaa McKay -Ljyal trader* ProvencalU and Faribault - Rising Moose or One-eyed 8loux - Cajit. Bulfor eracuatee Port McKay - IiUelll^.uce of Peaco.

Notwithstanding the professions of friendship made to Pike, in the second war with Great Brit¬ ain, Dickson and others were found bearing arms against the Republic.

A year after Pike left Prairie du Chien, it was evident, that under some secret influence, the Indian tril>es were combining against the United States. In the year 1800, Nicholas Jarrotdeelared that the British traders were furnishing the sav¬ ages with guns for hostile purposes. On the first of May, 1812, two Indians were apprehended at Chicago, who were on their way to meet Dickson at Green Bay. They had taken the precaution to hide letters in their moccasins, and bury them in the ground, and were allowed to proceed after a brief detention. Frazer, of Prairie du Chien, who had been with Pike at the Council at the mouth of the Minnesota River, w as at the port¬ age of the Wisconsin when the Indians delivered these letters, which stated that the British flag would soon l>e flying again at Mackinaw. At Green Bay, the celebrated warrior, Black Ilawk, was placed in charge of the Indians who were to aid the British. The American troops at Macki¬ naw were obliged, on the seventeenth of July, 1812, to capitulate without firing a single gun. One who was made prisoner, writes from Detroit to the Secretary of War :

" The persons who commanded the Indians are Robert Dickson, Indian trader, and John Askin, Jr., Indian agent, and his son. The latter two were painted and dressed after the manner of the Indians. Those who commanded the Canadians are John Johnson, Crawford, Pothier, Armitinger, La Croix, Rolette, Flunks, Living¬ ston, and other traders, some of whom were lately concerned in smuggling British goods into the

Indian country, and, in conjunction with others, have been using their utmost efforts, several months before the declaration of war, to excite the Indians to take up arms. The least resist¬ ance from the fort would have been attended with the destruction of all the persons who fell into the hands of the British, ns I have been as¬ sured by some of the British traders."

On the first of May, 1814, Governor Clark, with two hundred men, left St. Louis, to build a fort at the junction of the Wisconsin and Missis¬ sippi. Twenty days before he arrived at Prairie du Chien, Dickson had started for Mackinaw with a band of Dahkotahs and Winnebagoes. The place was left in command of Captain Deace and the Mackinaw Feneibles. The Dahkotahs refusing to co-operate, when the Americans made their appearance they fled. The Americans took possession of the old Mackinaw house, in which they found nine or ten trunks of papers belong¬ ing to Dickson. From one they took the follow¬ ing extract :

A fort was immediately commenced on the site of the old residence of the late II. L. Dousman, which was composed of two block-houses in the angles, and another on the bank of the river, with a subterranean communication. In honor of the governor of Kentucky it was named "Shelby."

The fort was in charge of Lieutenant Perkins, and sixty rank and file, and two gunl)oats, each of which carried a six-pounder; and several howitzers were commanded by Captains Yeiser, Sullivan, and Aid-de-camp Kennedy.

The traders at Mackinaw, learning that the Americans had built a fort at the Prairie, and knowing that as long as they held possession [ they would be cut off from the trade with the

Loyalty Of Faribault And The' One-Eyed Sioux

The captain was an old trader by the namo of McKay, and under him was a sergeant of ar¬ tillery, with a brass six-pounder, and three or four volunteer com panics of Canadian voyageure, officered by Captains Griguon, Rolette and An¬ derson, with Lieutenants Brisbois and Duncan Graham, all dressed in red coats, with a number of Indians.

The Americans had scarcely completed their rude fortification, before the British force, guid¬ ed by Joseph Rolette, Sr., descended in canoes to a point on the Wisconsin, several miles from the Prairie, to which they marched in battle array. McKay sent a flag to the Fort demanding a surrender. Lieutenant Perkins replied that he would defend it to the last.

A fierce encounter took place, in which the Americans were worsted. The officer was wounded, several men were killed and one of their boats captured, so that it became necessary to retreat to St. Louis. Fort Shelby after its capture, was called Fort McKay.

Among the traders a few remained loyal, es¬ pecially Provencalle and J. B. Faribault, traders among the Sioux. Faribault was a prisoner among the British at the time Lieut. Col. Wm. McKay was preparing to attack Fort Shelby, and he refused to perform any service, Faribault's wife, who was at Prairie du Chien, not knowing that her husband was a prisoner in the hands of the advancing foe, fled with others to the Sioux village, where is now the city of Winona. Fari¬ bault was at length released on parole and re¬ turned to his trading post.

Pike writes of his flag, that " being in doubt whether it had been stolen by the Indians, or had fallen overborn d and floated away, I sent for my friend the Orignal Lcve." He also calls the Chief, Rising Moose, and gives his Sioux name Tahamie. lie was one of those, who in 1805, signed the agreement, to surrender land at the junction of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers to the United States. lie had but one eye, having lost the other when a boy, belonged to the Wapasha band of the Sioux, and proved true to the flag which had waved on the day he sat in council with Pike.

nation, he ascended the Missouri under the pro¬ tection of the distinguished trader, Manual Lisa, as far as the Au Jacques or James River, and from thence struck across the country, enlisting the Sioux in favour of the United States, and at length arrived at Prairie du Chien. On his arri¬ val, Dickson accosted him, and inquired from whence he came, and what was his business ; at the same time rudely snatching his bundle from his shoulder, and searching for letters, The " one-eyed warrior " told him that he was from St. Louis, and that he had promised the white chiefs there that he would go to Prairie du Chien, and that he had kept his promise

Dickson then placed him in confinement in Fort McKay, as the garrison was called by the British, and ordered him to divulge what infor¬ mation he possessed, or he would put him to death. But the faithful fellow said he would impart nothing, and that he was ready for death if he wished to kill him. Finding that confine¬ ment had no effect, Dickson at last liberated him. He then left, and visited the bands of Sioux on the Upper Mississippi, with which he passed the winter. When he returned in the spring, Dick¬ son had gone to Mackinaw, and Capt. A. Bulger, of the Royal New Foundland Regiment, was in command of the fort.

On the twenty-third of May, 1815, Capt. Bul¬ ger, wrote from Fort McKay to Gov. Clark at St. Louis : " Official intelligence of peace reached me yesterday. I propose evacuating the fort, taking with me the guns captured in the fort. * * * * I have not the smallest hesitation in declaring my decided opinion, that the presence of a detachment of British and United States troops at the same time, would be the means of embroiling one party or the other in a fresh rup¬ ture with the Indians, which I presume it is the wish of both governments to avoid."

The next month the " One-Eyed Sioux," with three other Iudiansand a squaw, visited St. Louis, and he informed Gov. Clark, that the British commander left the cannons in the fort when he evacuated, but in a day or two came back, took the cannons, and fired the fort with the American flag flying, but that he rushed in and saved it from being burned. From this time, the British flag ceased to float in the Valley of the Missis' sippL