HISTORY OF WINNEBAGO COUNTY.

Acting Master James Fitzpatrick commanding, and we were
lying at Fort Randolph, when those two refugees came on board
and told their horrible tale. We immediately got under way
and conducted them to Memphis, Tennessee, where the matter
was reported to General Washburne, who ordered seven com-
panies of a colored regiment of cavalry to proceed up river and
capture or drive the guerrillas out of the state. The "Siren"
convoyed them to Fort Randolph, where they were disembarked
and deployed by companies and started inland. The second day
after they had started out one of the squads returned, having
captured the famous guerilla crief. He was found alone in a
farm house practically helpless on account of sickness and sur-
rendered without any show of resistance. He was imprisoned
on the bow of one of the transport barges and two of the cavalry
men placed on guard. The "Siren" lay alongside of the barge
and our men could stand outside the casemating and be within
ten feet of the prisoner, no objections being raised by the guards
or our own officers we talked freely with him until the return
of General Osborne with the rest of the force. Upon the return
of General Osborne a drum-head court martial was immediately
convened and in less than an hour the trial was concluded and
the prisoner was sentenced to be hung.  The sentence was
promptly executed and the body remained suspended from a cot-
tonwood tree for two days, when two of his sisters arrived on
the packet "Graham" with a permit from General Washburne
to get possession of the remains. It was a terrible sight for
those two young ladies, and their grief was pitiable to behold.
The side-wheel towboat "Portage" was built at Eureka in
1862. She was intended to be used for towing barges between
Green Bay and Portage, commanded by Captain Clint Stevens.
She was owned by the Portage Steamboat Company. She was
sold to the United States Engineering Department and used on
the improvement of the Wisconsin river. In 1891 she was pur-
chased from the United States Engineering Department by Tal-
bot, of Berlin, Wisconsin, and placed on the route between Osh-
kosh and Berlin, and in 1898 was hauled out at Berlin and dis-
mantled.
In the winter of 1864-1865 the side-wheel steamer "Northwest-
ern" was built at Winneconne by Captain John Lynch, Ruben
Doud and Tom Wall. She was placed on the route between Osh-
kosh and New London under command of Captain Jack Anson

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