Where Freedom first awoke the human mind, And broke the enchantment which enslaved mankind : And brings the Thespian goddess in his train. There has been some discussion in re the battle of the Pecatonica, but the above, as also what follows of the Black Hawk war, is taken from the account published by Col. D. M. Parkinson, which is conceded to be correct. On the 18th of June, 1832, the fifth volunteer company was formed in the county, of which D. M. Parkinson was chosen Captain, with Samuel Patrick and Mathew G. Fitch as Lieutenants, and accompanied Gen. Dodge to Blue Mounds, guarding the fort there for several days, returning thence to Fort Defiance to make preparations for an expedition against Black Hawk, who was said to be encamped with his entire force on Lake Koshkonong. On the 28th of June, 1832, Col. Dodge's command rendezvoused at Fort Hamilton (now Wiota), where they were met by Gen. Posey's brigade, preparatory to commencing an expedition to meet Gen. Atkinson, with the two other divisions of the army. The force encamped the first night at the East Pecatonica. The second night the tents were pitched at Devee's old smelting establishment on Sugar River, where it was joined by Capt. Stephenson's company from Galena. On Rock River, the command was joined by the Winnebago Chief, White Crow, and Col. W. S. Hamilton, with a force which had joined them the day previous, and was designated as the scouting party of the command. White Crow offered to conduct the entire party to Black Hawk's encampment, which he said was on Rock River, near Lake Koshkonong. Under his guidance, the force advanced for several days, over almost impassable swamps, until within a short distance of the locality as described by White Crow, when they were met by an express from Gen. Atkinson, ordering them to proceed immediately to his encampment on Bark River. Col. Dodge felt somewhat vexed to be thus thwarted in his purpose, and remarked that he was crippled in every movement he wished to make, by untimely expresses. In obedience to orders, the forces proceeded to the point indicated. The night previous a volunteer had been killed, and Gen. Atkinson, thinking the enemy near at hand, was desirous of concentrating all his forces, preparatory to a general engagement which he contemplated bringing on the next day. When Col. Hamilton and his scouts reconnoitered Black Hawk's camp the next morning, it was ascertained that he had decamped with his whole force. It was discovered that he had occupied a most advantageous position for defense, and, from the apparent anxiety of White Crow and his party to lead the forces there, it was with much reason supposed he was acting in concert with Black Hawk, to bring on an engagement at that point with the left wing of the army. Gen. Henry, Gen. Alexander and Col. Dodge, with their respective commands, were ordered to Fort Winnebago for provisions, and, upon arriving there, it was ascertained through the Winnebagoes that the Sacs and Foxes were then at Rock River Rapids. A council of war was held, at which it was decided to return to camp by way of the Rapids, and preparations, therefore, were accordingly concluded. Taking a Mr. Paquette as an interpreter and some Winnebagoes as guides, the command set off, and on the third day arrived at the Rapids, but, to their surprise, found no Indians there, save some emaciated Winnebagoes, by whom they were informed that the enemy had moved further up the river to the Cranberry Lakes. The force encamped for the night, dispatching, meanwhile, an express to Gen. Atkinson, borne by Adjt. Woodbridge and others, with a Winnebago for a guide. When they had proceeded about eight or nine miles, they came across one of the main trails of the enemy, plainly indicating their route as pointing toward the west. The troops at once returned and communicated the information, which entirely changed the plan of operations agreed upon. Instead of marching up the river, as was intended, the force marched down it early the next morning, and at a rapid pace. The trails were approached quickly, and found to consist of three-one main center and two flank ing trails. The first night the force camped thereon, and were literally drenched with rain, experiencing the greatest difficulty in making a fire with which to cook supper. The second night they camped on the east end of Third Lake; and, previously to their arriving there, the scouts discovered a large force of Indians, who made a feint to attack, but were deterred by the volunteers putting on a bold front, and forming in line of battle, seeing which, the Indians made a precipitous flight into the woods surrounding the lake. That night the scouts discovered many Indians, and it appeared the next morning, from information received from Winnebago Indians, that about one-half the main body of the Sacs and Foxes took post near the crossing of the Catfish, on the eastern confines of the present city of Madison, with the intention of there making the attack, should the volunteers attempt a night pursuit, but, as they did not, the Indians left their ambush about midnight. The next morning, the memorable 21st of July, the forces were upon the trail before sunrise, with every expectation of overtaking them soon. The march in pursuit was consequently rapid. On the banks of the Third Lake, near where the Lake House in Madison now stands, the advance guard killed an Indian, who, the Winnebago Indian above alluded to informed them, was sitting upon the grave of his wife, who had, perhaps, died from fatigue, hunger and exhaustion, and her disconsolate companion had resolved to await the advancing foe and die there also, and he boldly bared his naked breast as a willing target for the balls of the scouts. He but too soon met the death he coveted. This may be thought to have been cruel, but the motto of the pursuers was "no quarter. In the pursuit the forces passed an encampment on what has since been called Pheasant Branch, at the head of Fourth Lake, where was a freshly made Indian grave, a squaw supposed to have died the night before, and this the place of her sepulture. About five miles from this spot, the scouts killed an Indian who said he was a Winnebago. When in the act of falling, he fired his rifle, wounding one of the volunteers in Capt. Clark's company. From this point the scouts were continually chasing the Indians and being in turn chased by them. Consequently, the march became almost a fight in pursuit of the enemy. Upon one occasion, the forces were thrown into line of battle, but the enemy immediately receded and a running fire was kept up by the scouts and the rear guard of the Indians until the main battle was fought. It was brought about by the chasing of the scouts, who were commanded by Capt. Joseph Dickson, by a large body of the enemy, who had been secreted in the low bottoms of the Wisconsin River. While they were pursuing the scouts up a long slope, the advance portion of the volunteers were rapidly ascending from the opposite side, and, as a consequence, the contending armies met at the top. Here they barely had time to range themselves in line of battle-Cols. Dodge's and William L. D. Ewing's commands forming the front-and had scarcely faced about when the enemy began firing. Orderly Sergt. John McNair, of La Fayette County, was wounded in this onset by a shot in the thigh, but was not conscious of it until the conflict ceased and the enemy had fled. By this time the remainder of Gen. Henry's command except the command of Col. Fry, a part of whom were dragoons, was brought into line of battle in less than ten minutes from the commencement of the engagement. After the line of battle had been fully formed, upon a high eminence and in open ground, considerable firing was kept up by the Indians, who had taken shelter in some underbrush upon the bank of the opposite declivity, by which seven of the volunteers were wounded and one killed, the latter being named Short, and belonging to the command of Col. Jones. That officer had his horse shot from under him. Seeing that the volunteers were suffering more in this firing, perhaps, than the Indians, Gen. Henry ordered a charge, by which the enemy was at once dislodged from its hiding-place, and fled, during the flight twenty being shot and scalped, making in all sixty-eight of the enemy killed in the battle. They were pursued to the bottoms of the Wisconsin, when the volunteers reached the tall grass, which was wet, it having rained nearly the entire afternoon of that day; and, it being then nearly dark, further pursuit was abandoned. The volunteers returned to camp, and, immediately succeeding supper, Adjts. Woodbridge and Merriman, who had been sent as an express to Gen. Atkinson's camp, on Bark River, prior to the battle, returned. With them also came Capt. James B. Estes, afterward of Shullsburg, and now of Galena, but the Indian guide and Mr. Poquette, the interpreter, left camp immediately after the battle. On the same night the silence of camp was disturbed by the loud, shrill voice of an Indian from the summit of one of the highest peaks in that vicinity, haranguing, as was supposed, for an attack upon the volunteers. Although well posted and surrounded with a double guard, the strange phenomenon naturally produced some excitement and was well calculated to test the coolness and material of officers and men. It was thought that Black Hawk's entire force was being brought to bear upon the volunteers, in a night attack, the most to be dreaded of all attacks, especially when made by an Indian enemy. The material composing the army proved good, however, no man showed the white feather, and the commanders, in concert with the Indian orator, harangued their men in the most stirring manner. Gen. Henry, in particular, addressed his men in a patriotic strain, reminding them of the discredit already brought upon the "Sucker" arms by the defeat of Stillman, and other similar disasters; appealing to them in the name of their mothers to vindicate their valor and that of the "Sucker State." In fact, it was often remarked afterward, that he made a great "Sucker" speech, under the impluse of which his men no doubt would have well vindicated, as they had the preceding day, the powers of volunteer arms. It was afterward ascertained, however, that the Indian chief was making propositions of peace, instead of urging or cheering on his warriors to battle; which, no doubt, would have been acceptable, had the Winnebagoes been in camp. The proposals were said to have been made, that the Sacs and Foxes would surrender themselves at discretion, and only asked protection for the lives of their women and children. But, hearing no response, and supposing the Winnebagoes were with the volunteers, they concluded their proposals were not to be entertained, and no mercy would be shown them-consequently, every effort was then made to remove as fast as possible out of the country. The next day, the slain soldier was buried, and litters were improvised for the conveyance of the wounded. Expresses were sent to Gen. Atkinson and Prairie du Chien, after having marched in the morning to the Wisconsin and ascertained that the Indians, during the night, had effected a crossing. The following morning, the whole command moved forward toward the Blue Mounds, where it arrived at night, after one of the most fatiguing days experienced during the war. The difficulty of conveying wounded men on litters, for thirty miles, over almost impassable creeks, through swamps, across hills and through thick woods, by a winding path, was attended with weariness and difficulty of which no one can well conceive. Here must be related an amusing and withal, at the time, an alarming incident of the day -one which has never been forgotten. Although John McNair's wound was a flesh wound, yet it was so excruciatingly painful that it was only with the greatest difficulty he could be conveyed in any way. Being the Orderly Sergeant of Col. D. M. Parkinson, and much attached to that gentleman, he particularly requested the Colonel to remain with him, saying the boys would kill him, almost, if he were not along. Desirous to gratify the sufferer, Col. Parkinson placed his company under the command of Lieut. Mathew G. Fitch, and remained constantly with McNair. After having carried him in his arms through several creeks, the Colonel and his charge arrived on top of the East Blue Mound. The litter by this time had become so broken by the horses, between two of which it was swung, having to wind and twist along the narrow and devious path by which the ascent to the mound is made, that it would no longer answer to carry him. Here was a dilemma, the litter was broken up, it was dark, and McNair declaring that he could not ride on horseback, with the company far in advance, with all the provisions and necessary materials for camping. How to extricate themselves from the difficulties which beset them, was a question difficult of solution; yet it must be done. At length, Col. Parkinson directed the "boys" to bring the horses and fragments of litter to the foot of the mound, while he bore McNair as Anchises did the old Patroclus, on his back, to the encampment. He accordingly took him up, and, after descending the mound, which was quite steep, was compelled to lay him down. It seems that he either laid him on, or so near, a large yellow rattlesnake as very much to disturb the latter, which set up such a terrible rattling or whizzing as to frighten all hands, who fled precipitately. Thus deserted, the poor devil who had been the cause of all this commotion cried out in the most supplicating manner, "Oh, Captain, for God's sake, don't leave me here to be devoured by these snakes," for there were by this time evidently two of them, and from the noise in the stillness of the night, and in the midst of a dense forest, there seemed to be legions of them giving their fearful notes of warning. The Colonel, recovering from his momentary fright, and feeling the necessity of instant action, "pitched in," caught the prospective victim by the heels and dragged him unceremoneously out of so dangerous a proximity to a ten times more frightful enemy than Black Hawk, and, wonderful to relate, the sufferer never uttered a groan. After the panic was over, McNair expressed his willingness to ride horseback or anything else, and, in due time, the company's camp was reached. The next morning after arriving at the Mounds, Gen. Dodge's command was dismissed to their respective forts for a new supply of provisions. Gen. Atkinson, who had broken up his encampment on Bark River, soon arrived with his troops, so that on the 26th of the month, the entire army rendezvoused at Helena, on the Wisconsin, and, crossing the river, took the Indian trail which was down the valley, and by the 2d of August, the Indians were overtaken and most disastrously beaten. Here, as at the battle of Wisconsin, Dodge's command occupied the front rank, the engagement having been brought on by Capt. Dickson, who still commanded the spies and was wounded in the conflict. It was more a massacre than a battle, as the Indians only fought as they were compelled to, many of them being killed as they were crossing the river, men, women and children. This was the closing conflict of the war. Black Hawk was soon after taken prisoner, and conducted through the principal cities of the Union. Thus ended all Indian difficulties, and from that period the progress of Wisconsin has been rapid and astonishing. Among these who settled in the county was M. G. Fitch, Thomas H. Price, who made claim in the north end of the county; John J. Van Matre and Morgan L. Van Matre, Ohioans, in the township of Fayette; also Elias Crane, John, George Adam and Jonathan Helm, in the upper end of Wiota; Rufus and Benjamin Scott, in Willow Springs; John and William Armstrong, Isaac Bailey, Aaron and Samuel Colly, in Fayette; James Woods, in Wiota; Christopher Blackgraves, William and James Tolley, John Parkinson, Elias Pilling, Jacob and George Monahan, in Willow Springs, and all farmers; Amos Eastman and brother, James, Joseph and Alfred McKnight, and the Gurley family, in Wayne; D. S. Hawley, John G. Saxton, William Biggs, William, George and Robert Brazle, Joshua Chilton, Amos Cunningham, Jonas Shook, the Gabriel family, and others, in Argyle; the Rudolph family, Elias Slowther, and others, in Gratiot, and in Benton, Belmont and other townships, the exhibit was equally gratifying. On the 6th of May, 1835, Gen. Jackson, then President of the United States, in pursuance of the fourth section of the act of June 26, 1834, issued his proclamation for a public sale of lands in the Wisconsin District at Mineral Point, commencing on the 7th day of September, and appointed John P. Sheldon, Register, with Joseph Enox, Receiver. This attracted purchasers from all parts of the country, and appreciated the number of population. The land troubles, growing out of these sales, have already been referred to, but produced no other than a beneficial effect. From this date on to 1837, when the county was set apart, the history of events has been detailed in the pages devoted to incidents and facts falling within the limit of previous years. From 1827, up to the year when La Fayette County was organized, its life was as that of an individual. Thus far has the historian sought to drag up lost honors in the history of La Fayette County. He may have succeeded imperfectly, but he has labored earnestly, enthusiastically. There are those who still live that remember some of the incidents herein recorded, in whose breasts the old fire has not died out altogether; who remember the spring, the summer and the autumn days of life as it was lived half a century gone. There are those who aided the beginning of this undertaking who will ne'er again see the spring sunshine flood the heavens with transient glory; summer breezes will no more rustle the foliage for some whom the writer met in happy moments less than a year agone; since, their funeral trains have wound up the hillsides, and the green earth has opened its arms to another weary life. The church-yard gate has closed since then, and will close again before the birds resume their nest-building in the trees that will wave about the grassy mounds. For here, as everywhere, "He giveth His beloved sleep." ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY. That tract of land now known on the map of Wisconsin State as La Fayette County came under the progressive influences of civilization in 1824, when, as recounted elsewhere in this volume, white men settled in the vicinity of New Diggings. At that period, La Fayette County was unknown to fame, and few of the sturdy miners suspected the herculean scion, born under the protecting ægis of their presence, should arise to the eminence of cutting adrift from the parent province and appealing to the world for individual recognition. Iowa County embraced in her expansive clasp the territory extending to the banks of the Mississippi, subsequently subdivided and denominated, respectively, Grant and La Fayette Counties. Tidings of this country, rich in mineral and blessed with a fecund soil, became bruited abroad, with the natural result of attracting thither a heterogeneous population, in which the miner and agriculturist struggled for ascendancy. Nature, liberal in her bounty, had provided prolific fields for all, and, in recognition of this fact, the diverse elements settled down to harmonious industry. Constant accessions to the population rendered the administration of justice a problem of some difficulty, owing to the vast range of territory. A division of the county was advocated, and a re adjustment of county boundaries was demanded. The agitation resulted successfully in 1847, when, in February of that year, an act of the Legislature decided in favor of a division. At that time, Jameson Hamilton, an enterprising settler, was surveying a portion of ground situated about one and a quarter miles southwest of the present site of Darlington. He was engaged laying out a town site and had erected one or two houses. Appreciating the advantage conferred on surrounding property by the presence of the county seat, he improved the occasion by tendering to the infant county of La Fayette a selection of sites for county purposes. Shullsburg and New Diggings were fully alive to the exigency of the occasion, and their representatives strenuously exerted themselves to procure the selection of their own villages. Hamilton claimed to be the hub or geographical center of the county, and, therefore, entitled by law to the honors and profits of a county seat. New Diggings and Shullsburg did not advance any natural pretensions, but asserted their claims for recognition as centers of population. The discussion was terminated by submitting the merits of the rival claimants to the popular vote, a majority deciding in favor of Shullsburg. The primitive Methodist Church of that place was rented, and there the county offices were located for some time. The following official document, filed before William Henry, Notary Public, and with Samuel G. Bugh, Register of Deeds, clearly aligns the position of the two counties at the time of secession : Article of agreement entered into this twenty-third day of December, in the year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Forty-seven, between the Board of County Commissioners of the County of La Fayette, in the Territory of Wisconsin, of the first part, and the Board of County Commissioners of the County of Iowa, in the said Territory of Wisconsin, of the second part, Witnesseth that for and in consideration of the sum of Seven Hundred and Fifty Dollars, paid unto the party of the second part, by the said party of the first part, and of the covenants and stipulations hereinafter mentioned, the said party of the second part, to wit: The said Board of County Commissioners of the County of Iowa, for and in behalf of the said County of Iowa, and their successors in office, hereby covenant and agree, and bind the said County of Iowa, to pay all the debts and liabilities of whatever kind and nature of the old County of Iowa, upon the following conditions, to be performed and fulfilled by the said Board of County Commissioners of La Fayette, or their successors in office, acting for and in behalf of said County of La Fayette. That is to say, the said Board of County Commissioners of La Fayette County, for and in behalf of the said County of La Fayette, and their successors in office, hereby release, relinquish, give up, surrender, transfer, make over, and assign unto the present County of Iowa, the said party of the second part, all right, interest, title, and estate of every kind and nature, both in law and in equity, of the said County of La Fayette, the said party of the first part, in and to all the public buildings, and the lot or grounds on which they are situated, known and designated as part of Lot Number Fifty-Three (53), being the same lot conveyed by Patent of the United States to Robert C. Hoard, William I. Dening and John Lindsey, County Commissioners of Iowa County. Wisconsin Territory, bearing date the nineteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and |