HISTORY OF GREEN COUNTY. 
 
strangers from every city in the Union;, and 
even from Liverpool, London and Paris, were in 
attendance. The commissioners sat on a raised 
bench facing the Indian chiefs; on each side of 
them stood the officers of the army in full dress, 
while the soldiers, in their best attire, appeared 
in bright array on the sides of the council shade. 
'The ladies belonging to the officers' families, 
and the best families in the Prairie, were seated 
directly behind the commissioners, where they 
could see all that passed and hear all that was 
said. Behind the principal Indian chiefs sat 
the common people--first the men, then the 
women and children, to the number of thous- 
ands, who listened in breathless and death-like 
silence to every word that was uttered. The 
spectacle was grand and morally sublime in the 
highest degree to the Nations of red men who 
were present, and when our proposition to sell 
all their country to their Father hal1 been deliv- 
ered to them, they 'equested an exact copy of it 
in writi .g; the request was instantly complied 
with and the council broke up. The next day 
we addressed the Winnebagoes, as we hid the 
.Chippewas, etc., the day before, and at their 
request gave them a copy of our speech. 
After counseling among themselves, the Chip- 
pewas, etc., answeretI favorably as to a sale, 
though they would do nothing yet until they 
had fixed on their terms. 
The Winnebagoes appeared in council and 
delivered many speeches to us. They demanded 
the $20,000 worth of goods. "Wipe out your 
debt," was their reply, "before you run in debt 
again to us." 
Our goods, owing to the low stage of the 
water, had not arrived yet, and the Indians 
feared we did not intend to fulfill Gov. Cass' 
agreement of  he year before. When our goods 
did arrive and they saw themthey then changed 
their tone a little; but in the meantime, great 
uneasiness existed, and I was often seriously 
advised by LNawkaw and other friends togo into 
the fort, as Gen. McNeil had doane. Col. Men- 
ard's ill health had compelled him to leave the 
 
ground and go to Gen. Street's, five miles (the 
goneral calls it three) from the council house. 
Unless we left the ground, we were told by the 
Winnebagoes, that they "would use a little 
switch upon us." In plain English, they would 
assassinate the whole of us out of the fort. Two 
hundred warriors under Keokuk and Morgan, of 
Sauks and Foxes, arrived and began their war 
dance for the United States, and they brought 
word that thirty steamboats with cannon and 
United States troops, and 400 warriors of their 
own, were near at hand. The Winnebagoes' 
were silenced by this intelligence, and by dem- 
onstrations, not misunderstood by them. 
When Keokuk arrived, he brought two de- 
serters from the garrison here, whom he had 
made prisoners on his way up the river. Quas- 
quawma and his son-in-law, Tia-na, came with 
Keokuk. It was a season of great joy with me, 
who placed more reliance on these friendly war- 
riors than on all our forces. Good as our officers 
were, our soldiers of the army were too dissi- 
pated and worthless to be relied on one moment. 
Taking Keokuk aside and alone, I told him in 
plain English all I wanted of him, what I would 
do for him and what I expected from him and his 
good officers. He replied in good English: "I 
understand you sir, perfectly, and it shall all be 
done." It was all done faithfully, and he turned 
the tide in our favor. 
The goods arrived and also our provisions; 
Col. Menard's and Gen. McNeil's health were 
restored and they appeared again at th e council 
house and everything wore a new aspect. They 
approved of all I had done in their temporary 
absence. 
On the 29th of July, 1829, we concluded our 
treaty with the Chippewas, Ottawas and Potta- 
wattamies. 
On the Ist day of August a treaty was con- 
cluded with the Winnebagoes. 
So the treaties were executed at last, and about 
8,000,000 acres of land added to our domain, 
purchased from the Indians. Taking the three 
tracts, ceded, and forming one whole, it extends 
 
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