Wisconsin tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1847-1854, 1853-03-24
To GEsEnAL w. Il. SmITH.
G-.ra IL =.

appended TO that publications. stated that might,
from the lapse OF time, have made some errors,
more particularly a. 10 the names of those who
were actually in the action This the case.
/ omitted the names OF Alexander Higgerbot;om.
and Benjamin Lawhead, VINO were in tie fight
and Thomas H. Price whom placed in the line,
was one Of the morse guard. The printer also
made some omissions and errors my manuscript
stated that million plunged into the stream" and
that Spencer continued on down the bank, pur-
,ued By an Indian mounted OF the horse with which
they had been ploughing corn also wrote
"charge EN-, an abb-eviatiun OF the word charge
them" which was printed charge in, there were
also some other typographical errors Of no i'm
portance
Mr. Peter Parkison Jr-, one OF the survivors OF
that battle. in a communication addressed 10 the
Editor OF the Tribune in November last has Civ
en- his version Of tt affair for the purpose as ne
AYERS 'of doing Justice to the dead as we'll as the
living, and also in justice 70 the correctness Of his
tory" In that communication Mr. Parkinson neg
atives, gives different version to almost every
fact stated by First, that II did not com
n1and the detachment from Fort Defiance. bat that
r H Kirkpatrick did = that ,'rhe next morning.
before starting from Fort Hamilton for S7atforo's
field difficulty took place betweea D NJ Parki-
and myself about the command, claiming
H. IN vutHe Of my second Lisfeuancg viii
objected 10 by i VI Parkison, (Which was the
commencement OF The memorable difficulty be-
tween that person and myself) That Major
kirkpatrick then declining taking further com
mand of the detachment unless he was p. chosen,
upon which election was gone into, and Major
Kirkpatrick (as he was commonly caled) was
unanimously elected" that This difficulty being
settled, the party proceeded 10 the farm and found
the murdered men as described by M. with the
excep ion Of SpafFord. | stated tia; we found
MS body with the head cut off and literally speak
ing covered with al hund. Cd wounds Mr.. P.
assert. most dogmatically. that .Sg!fords hsad
not cut Of, and that he had no rounds that ke
reeolisczs or IL denies that Million crossed tie
river at the point indicated By me "a, al he point
where McIlyaiu AMI John Bal crosse u and
then he gives Us AIunchausen story 0, Ms swim
rnins tie river ave times, and feet IS ue was Of
foot, Of lis beating an Indian mounted on horse
hack after hot chase Of ten miles. And so de-
,sEmined does Mr.. Parkison appear to contradict
my statements and so closely does ne 20 into par
;iculers, that IL makes Black ride morse instead
OF mare as stated By me-
Although I reasonably account for the manner
II which with Fitch, Higgeubo;tom and Deva. /
got ahead OF tie detachment, BY winch was
placed within shooting distance Of the Indians and
secured the first scalp YET, to lhis fact Mr. p
is sure my memory Is a; fault, because, as lie as
s.r,s, lie was near me when Shot, and 50 was
the General When my little party encountered
ard fired the Indians, they were near the top Of
the ridge that oyelIooks the Pekatonica. Tie
General was linen across The branch on the TOP Of
iae opposite ridge, some three-lou Of a mile off
apparently engaged in forming the men in line as
they came struggling up. Therefore, while had
not more than two hundred yards TO advance, 10
place myself in contact with the Indians while
they were crossing the creek; the General and Mr..
P. had more than threeiourth of a mile 10 trav-
srse with muddy branch 10 cross before they
could come up with the enemy WHO when they
arrived, had crossed the creek and were advancing
towards the thicket IN the bend where the battle
took place.
Mr.. Parkison also thinks that from Gen. Dodges
usual GOODNESS and discretion on such occasions,
az could hardly have given such orders to the men
as l represent Had l attempted to laud Gen.
Dodge could not had I ransacked the yocabula-
~ ofthe English language, found expressions more
suitable for the occasion. OF given better ,esmo-
ny of his GOODNESS and discretion on the eve of
battle. His mind was made up, as he stated, TO
whip the enemy or die in the attempt" lie there
lore coolly and dlscreetly lorearcd u.s. that there
would be no snaps flashes of our guns he re-
qu rsd IS 10 grd tight our lo.ns and uubuIton our
shirt collars, that our respiration might be free TO
sustain him in the desperate encounter that was
before Again Mr.. p thinks my memory is at
fault when | MAKE the Gene al swear terribly
If must confess the fact. he swore far more ter
rbly than have represented. Ii Mr.. Parkison
had been disposed 10 lax ms memory 10 DO Justice
TO my conduct in that battle, as much as he ap.
pears disposed 20 detTaci from II, It would have
been no great lax on his memory 10 have recol-
lsc,ed that IN my hand 10 hand encounter with the
Indian al the pond, the breech OF my gun had
silver cut cut ott by Jhespear Of the Indian some
three four inches long. That gun I carried
throughout the war. and Mr. r. as we'll as others
has time and again that evidence of that en-
counter And Mr.. Parkison has at this late day
found It convenient to uulearn what he formerly
knew, that from 4 tortui5ous train of circumstan-
&C. my actions on that occasion were such, that
the General by common consent awarded me two
out Of the seventeen scaips taken and state it on
good authority that in the fan OF the year after
tue war when the annua. firing OF the prairie took
place and the woods and grass were destroyed that
the bones Of fifteen Indians were found al the pond
where the battle took place, those OF another be
tween that and the point where ,aey crossed the
creek, and those OF another a, tie crossing Of the
creek which / aliege 10 have killed party Of
Menomonec and Sioux Indians. uader the com
rnand OF Colonies Hamilton and Marsh had arriy-
e. a, The Fort short time after We commenced
tie pursuit These Indians taking our trail, found
ard scaiPed the two latter, ana overlook the de-
,Aehuleat as we were returning "i,b our wound
e. 10 the Fort.