HISTORY OF GREEN COUNTY. 
 
a stand and showed fight, while the others 
crossed the river. Here we were fired on by 
the Indians, and one man was killed and several 
wounded. We returned their fire with effect, 
and then charged them, killing a good many, 
all of whom were scalped by the wild Sucker 
volunteers. 
Soon after the skirmish on Wisconsin bluffs, 
Gen. Atkinson came up, and the entire army 
crossed the river at Pine Bend, (Helena,) and 
took the trail on the opposite side, and followed 
it seven or eight miles, in the direction of 
Prairie du Chien. When it was discovered that 
the Indians were making for the Mississippi, 
Gen. Atkinson sent me with little Boiselev to 
carry a dispatch to Fort Crawford, that the in- 
i ibitants might be ready to prevent the Indians 
crossing in any canoes or boats belonginig to the. 
citizens. Boiseley and I traveled day and night, 
and arrived at the fort without seeing an Indian. 
Back Hawk and his people, with the army in 
pursuit, had turned northward, intending to 
ford the Kickapoo high up. 
It was on the 1st day of August when Boise- 
ley and I reached the Sugar Loaf, at the south 
end of the prairie. As we were taking a look 
over the prairie, previous to starting for the 
fort, we saw the smoke and steam of a boat 
coming up the river, just off the mouth of the 
Wisconsin. We hastened on, and reached the 
fort as the steamer Warrior made the govern- 
ment landing. I reported myself to Capt. 
Loomis, and was directed to go up the river in 
the boat. I assisted to gef a six-pounder from 
the fort on to the Warrior, which cannon was 
managed by five other persons and-myself, and 
was the only cannon fired at the Indians: if not 
the only one aboard. 
The steamboat Watrrior was commanded by 
Thockmorton, and Lieut. Kingsbury was aboard 
with a body of regulars. The cannon was placed 
on the forward part of the boat, without a de- 
fense of any kind; and I have the names of the 
five persons who assisted to manage it, for they 
got on at the Prairie when I did. 
 
The boat steamed up stream with all on board 
anxious to get a pop at the Indians. Just above 
where Lansing is, we picked up a soldier, who 
had been discharged from Fort Snelling, and 
was coming down the river in a canoe. He had 
come down the west channel, on the Minnesota 
side opposite Bad Ax, and, fortunately for him, 
he did not meet the Indians. We came in sight 
of the Indians south of the Bad Ax river; they 
were collected together on a bench of the land 
close to the Mississippi, and were making efforts 
to get their women across. 
Capt. Dickson's scouts had not come up yet, 
and the Indians raised a white flag and endeav- 
ored to induce the boat to approach the east 
shore, and succeeded in bringing her close 
enough to pour a shower of balls'into her. The 
cannon sent a shower of canister amongst the 
Indians, which was repeated three times, each 
time mowing a swath clean through them. Af- 
ter discharging the gun three times, (there were 
only three charges of canister shot aboard,).the 
Indians retreated to the low ground back from 
the shore, where, lying on their bellies, they 
were safe from us. 
A continual firing of small arms was kept up 
between the persons on board the boat and the 
Indians ashore, until the fire-wood gave out, 
when we were obliged to put back to Prairie du 
Chien to wood up--for there were no woodyards 
on the Mississippi as now.  The village was 
roused to carry wood aboard, and we soon had 
a sufficient quantity of that article.  A lot of 
Menomonee Indians were also taken on, and 
then, under a full head of steam, we put back 
to the scene of the battle. 
Before we rounded the island, and got within 
sight of the battle-ground, we could har the 
report of musketry, and then it, was- that I 
heard Thockmorton say: "Dodge is giving them 
h--l!" And he guessed right, for as we reached 
the spene of action, the wild volunteers under 
Gen. Dodge were engaged in a fierce conflict 
with the Indians.  The Indians were driven 
down to the river edge; some of them under 
 
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