Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-08-18
From the SCH Observation-Disclosures f.o,,
Daeeiah Territory.
O1 the State Journal.


FORT WADswoRTH, DAcor. Trpp,ro,r1
o., July &c, 1884. {
ihe 'osh wisconsin volunteers having bean
SO long stationed at Camp Randall b.d s,.-
ed many intimate associations. Or,
had become as familiar with you a. bo,,.ot~1,
words. Those associations, we trns.
not yet lost their interest at homo &C
the slightly overdrawn picture, 1 noticed :.
your paper, of the sufe'ings endured hv
portion OF our command on our trip hitber
am tempted to intrude myself on your "a.
thence, deeming that brief description of
the locality of the destined goal in the far-of
land OF the Dacotahs, to which the command
OF Major Clowney has joined, will not be IN
acceptable. tR
Fort Wadsworth is to be located on J
point between As and 4Oo north latitude
and in longitude 97o west. amid 4 clustar If
| beautiful lakes, laid down at random on the
maps, on the Coteau des Prairies. away
! from these lakes the country is hare and
broken, the soil poor and rocky, the vegeta-
ton consisting principally of stunted- buffalo
grass and the treacherous cactus plant. But
the cluster OF little lakes away in among
these dry hills, surrounded by grassy. fertile
valleys, and small groves Of stately trees.
form enchanting pictures, fit scenes for the
inspiration OF poet or painter. You, with
your beautiful lakes at Madison, may he ahIa
to form some conception of the scene. Fan.
cy cluster of beautiful lakes, such as Lake
| Mendoza, OF clear, sparkling water, and a
beach OF sand and gravel; around the shores
the landscape dotted with every variety of
hill, valley, forest and prairie; around the
margin, capes, promontories and peninsulas,
| covered with groves islands rising I'D in
oval forms from the centre, covered with
trees and luxuriant shrubbery; Their, in the
various windings and turnings in the labv-
rinth, one sees straits, harbors, BAYS and
channels, all in a miniature picture. The
effect of these visions of beauty is only
heightened by the uninviting wilderness sur
rounding
Of many of these Landscapes, ours is a chos-
en- one. In beauty | think it excels anv |
have seen, and as defensive position, when
fortified with proper care and guarded by
soldierly vigilance, with sufficiencv of stores
on hand, we think it may bid defiance to the
whole Sioux nation, with their savage con
federates thrown in. We are on a table
land, nestled among cluster of these gems
of the desert, little peninsula connected
with the main land by a strip of but a few
| rods wide. Our peninsula extends from
north to south about the distance of a mile,
and from east to west not quite half mile.
In the centre OF this the grounds are laid out
for the fort. A square, 676 feet deep by go
! feet wide, is to be occupied by the various
| buildings of the fort, and outside of this
entertainments and rife-pits are being thrown
up.
The scenery on each side of us is of char
acter previously described. Hills, valleys
groves and mild placid waters. Groves mar
rowing into thin STRIPS sometimes in straight
margins, at others crescent shaped then
widening out into broad belt
From the point of view occupied by our
company on the east, we behold picture ex-
ceiling anything we have ever seen. At our
feet, separated by steep grade, is large
lake about quarter of mile distant, strip
Of timber extends out into the lake. In this
there is a break about the centre, revealing
another sheet of water beyond; beyond this,
| timber and water again: thus continuing
| succession OF lakes, points, parks and groves,
| terminating in hills, in a back ground, at a
| misty distance of Is miles
| In the center of our parade ground, or
| square to be enclosed by the fort, is a circu
! lar mound of proportions so uniform that one
| would suppose them to be thrswn up by the
hand of gardner. On this little mound oc-
CURED the following little incident:
J July 29th, 1854
| Iha-o,j aw- jaw, chief Of the Sissatoes, of
Lac Traverse Sioux, accompanied by body
| guard of brawny red men, dressed in gaudy
attire-some in buckskin hunting shirts, orna-
T, mented with fine bead work, some with red
! blankets thrown around their bare shoulders;
some with red sashes wound around their
heads, others with antique head dresses, Or
namented with feathers and other trinkets
pleasing to the eye of the savage They rode
into camp in true military style, alighted
| from their ponies and were received in the
center of the camp ground by Major Clowny,
| Adjutant Priestley and an interpreter The
Indians, Major, Adjutant and interpreter sat
down on grassy knoll, forming little circle
| on the ground. After sitting in grave silence
for few moments, the soldiers meanwhile
| being kept at respectful distance by the
guard, Chief Eha-o, jaw,jaw arose and ap-
preached the Major, shook him by the hand,
| likewise afterward the Adutant and interpre-
ter. After the chief each of the warriors,
according to rank, arose successfully and
shook hands with the Major, Adjutant and in
terpreter. The ceremony of shaking hands
being ended, Iha-ojaw,jaw again arose, ap-
preached the Major and made speech as fol-
| lows:
"We have never been as well satiefed as
now. Whatever happened below was not the
work of my band. We did not join in the
council to massacre the whites We are not
responsible for it. Our fear Of the conse-
quences of it drove US away. We hear that
our Great Father has permitted those who
did not join in the former massacre, to hold
| their former intercourse with the whites
This affords the great satisfaction l speak Of
We see you now, and it is like seeing our
| Great Father. We much pleased at the
| meeting. Our Great Father has very long
| arm, and it has reached US here-we are un1
| der its shadow to-day. We can only live
| when under the influence of our Great Faith
er's hand. We look upon ourselves as the
| people Of our Great Father The Indians of
| the Northwest have a dificulty-we are
ready to espouse the cause of the whites To
| the Great Father, whose representative you
are to us, we go for protection and care. We
have been driven from our fields and hunting
grounds. We could not plant our corD-we
do not know how we are to live through the
coming winter. We wish this to be made
known to our great father, that we suffer not
and die not for want of food"
We were not present to hear the reply of
the Major, but understood that I-ha-o-iaw.iaw
was promised protection and that his state
ment with regard to food should be sent to
the Great Father for consideration.
DACOTAH.
P. S.-The ridiculous picture drawn of our
sufferings from Fort Smelling to Fort Ridgley
is the subject of many amusing comments by
the boys. We have been trying to learn who
were the soldiers that threw aside their guns
and rushed frantically into the water. None
out your correspondent having had the pleas
ure of witnessing the Interesting sight. He