Among the many items that President John Quincy Adams reported to Congress in 1827, was what became known as the Winnebago War. It wasn't so much a war, as it was limited to just a few attacks on American citizens by members of the Ho-Chunk or Winnebago Indian tribes. Adams did not report it as a war, but rather as just a matter of the army "usefully and successfully" performing their appropriate duties. In fact, he reported it, almost as if it were a non-event. According to Adams, the hostilities took place just at the time when various tribes of the NorthWestern Indians were to meet with commissioner's to carry out the provisions of the First Treaty of Praire du Chien. This treaty was meant to establish peace between the Sioux and their neighboring tribes of Chippewa, Sac and Fox, Menominee, Loway, Winnebago and Anisshinaaeg. As these tribes were meeting, Adams reported that a party of the Winnebago tribe committed an "unprovoked" murder of several American citizens and committed other acts of "unequivocal hostilities". Because there were indications that the violence and hostility was spreading to other tribes, the army found it necessary to commit to send an immediate display of force to defend and protect the "Union in that quarter".
While the murdering of American citizens is never justified, calling it unprovoked tells only a part of the story. This all occurred during a time in America that was driven by a policy of Indian removal. The multi-tribal treaty signed at Prairie du Chien, not only tried to establish peace among the tribes, it also defined boundaries of land where each tribe could freely hunt and gather. However, as white settlers moved westward, they continued to encroach on Indian lands. For the Ho-Chunk tribes, the problem was multiplied because of easy lead mining along the ever River (later called the Galena River). The mines had become an important part of the Ho-Chunk economy, but it now was enticing white Americans to trespass their lands in very large numbers. The Ho-Chunks tried to drive away these trespassers but there were often skirmishes between the tribes and the aggressive miners. In March 1826, a French Canadian man and his Native American wife along with their children were murdered by a Ho-Chunk raiding party. There was no specific grievance or reason for the murder, they appeared to just be opportunistic targets. What we might call today, a "drive by" shooting. The militia men at Prairie du Chien arrested two suspects and took them to Fort Crawford, but they escaped. In order to appease the anger of the Americans, and to avoid further repercussions, the Ho-Chunk turned over six men but refused to identify which if any were involved in the murders. All six men were detained and eventually, the Ho-Chunks turned over the the Americans the two men who had committed the murder. The two Ho-Chunk prisoners were moved to Fort Snelling, but a false rumor that the men were turned over to the Ojibwes tribe for execution convinced some of the Ho-Chunk men to take up arms against the united States. Adding to their rage, were rumors that some of the American riverboat crews had sexually assaulted and raped several Indian women. In this state of fury, the Ho-Chunk men led by leaders, Red Bird, Wekau and Chichonsic attacked settlers near Prairie du Chien, killing two men and assaulting a child. Red bird and his men returned to the village at Prairie La Crosse to celebrate with three scalps, one of which was from the child who survived the attack. Just days later, the Ho-Chunks of Prairie La Crosse raised a group of about 150 Ho-Chunk and Dakota warriors attacking Americans near the mouth of the Bad Axe River. Two Americans were killed and four more were wounded.
Adams described to Congress, that in response, the governors of the state of Illinois and of the the Territory of Michigan organized a corps of 700 U.S. troops under the command of General Atkinson. Upon the call of Governor Cass, the troops left their station at St. Louis and headed immediately to Praire du Chien. There the men joined an additional 200 regulars from Fort Snelling, and 130 mounted militia men from Fort Crawford. Additional militia men followed, bringing an end to this episode of American history. On September 3, 1827 the Ho-Chunk tribe surrendered Red bird and Wekau, along with four others to "the authority and operation of our laws, and every appearance of purposed hostility from those Indian tribes has subsided". Shown in the picture above is Red bird and Wekau, dressed in white buckskin signifying their surrender to the Americans.
Here is the section of President John Quincy Adams annual address to Congress regarding the Winnebago War:
"During the last summer a detachment of the Army has been usefully and successfully called to perform their appropriate duties. At the moment when the commissioners appointed for carrying into execution certain provisions of the treaty of 1825-08-19, with various tribes of the NorthWestern Indians were about to arrive at the appointed place of meeting the unprovoked murder of several citizens and other acts of unequivocal hostility committed by a party of the Winnebago tribe, one of those associated in the treaty, followed by indications of a menacing character among other tribes of the same region, rendered necessary an immediate display of the defensive and protective force of the Union in that quarter.
It was accordingly exhibited by the immediate and concerted movements of the governors of the State of Illinois and of the Territory of Michigan, and competent levies of militia, under their authority, with a corps of 700 men of United States troops, under the command of General Atkinson, who, at the call of Governor Cass, immediately repaired to the scene of danger from their station at St. Louis. Their presence dispelled the alarms of our fellow citizens on those disorders, and overawed the hostile purposes of the Indians. The perpetrators of the murders were surrendered to the authority and operation of our laws, and every appearance of purposed hostility from those Indian tribes has subsided."
References
Presidency.ucsb.edu. (2018). John Quincy Adams: Third Annual Message. [online] Available at: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29469 [Accessed 22 May 2018].En.wikipedia.org. (2018). First Treaty of Prairie du Chien. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Treaty_of_Prairie_du_Chien [Accessed 25 May 2018].
En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Winnebago War. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnebago_War [Accessed 25 May 2018].
Kansasheritage.org. (2018). Potawatomi Web Treaty with the Sioux, etc., August 19, 1825. [online] Available at: http://www.kansasheritage.org/PBP/books/treaties/t_1825.html [Accessed 25 May 2018].
Wisconsin Historical Society. (2018). Winnebago War (1827) | Wisconsin Historical Society. [online] Available at: https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS1833 [Accessed 25 May 2018].
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