Journey from New Harmony on the Wabash to St. Louis on the Mississippi and Stay There
Mount Vernon – Shawneetown – Cave-in-Rock – Mouth of the Wabash – Cumberland and Tennessee River – Mouth of Ohio – Mississippi – Commerce – Cape Girardeau – Grand Tower – Devil’s Bake Oven – Kaskaskia River and Indians – Ste. Genevieve – Selma – Herculaneum – Merrimac River – Jefferson Barracks – Vide Poche – St. Louis – The Sauk (Sac) and Meskwaki Indians1 – Black Hawk – Meeting with the prisoners – Preparations for continuing journey
March 26, 1833
On the morning of the 26th at seven thirty, we found the Indians already on board the steamboat Warrior. On shore one could see also red figures walking about. We had provided ourselves with a supply of cigars and with small gifts like these gained their friendship and trust. Massica—the tall, handsome young man—was the most interesting of all the Indians. His revealing, wild, and at times extremely friendly, expressive eyes immediately engaged us, and with the help of the interpreter, I was able to record several words of the two very closely related Indian languages.
When General Clark and later the interpreter arrived, we weighed anchor and sailed down the Mississippi. The Indians occasionally sang on this journey; for this purpose they gathered near the bow of the ship. Many, who underneath their woolen blankets were completely naked above the waist, were thoroughly chilled in the raw, cold, penetrating wind, yet they endured it in the open. Below deck in the stern of the ship, they had a fire [on which] they cooked and roasted things. They attentively observed the steam engines, the hissing and roaring of which entertained them. Everywhere one saw Indians in various positions; some [repainted] their faces onboard, [after which] one could scarcely recognize them.
At ten o’clock we approached the [Jefferson] Barracks, where we caught sight of many of the residents on shore. In a wild chorus, the Indians sang a welcoming chant, during which they brandished their weapons. We landed and marched in a procession, the chiefs at the head of the Indians, up the hill to the barracks. General Clark introduced us to the commanding officer, General Atkinson, and after a short pause at his house, they met in a large room of the barracks, where all the Indians had already punctually sat down in rows. General Atkinson sat in front of them, General Clark beside him; spectators, especially many women, made up the audience.
When all were assembled, Keokuk, with the help of the interpreter, addressed a speech to the general, and the latter replied that he would see the prisoners, who were now brought in. At their head was Black Hawk ([——]), a seventy-year-old man, not very large, rather light yellow in complexion. [He had] an almost completely Chinese face, an impression to which his shorn head, with a small lock behind, contributed, as well as the circumstance that none of the captives were painted.
They entered, at least Black Hawk [did], with rather dispirited expressions. Although no Indian betrayed any sign of emotion, in most of them one could very clearly sense this [depressed] feeling. The prisoners shook hands one after the other with all of us and then sat down in the inner circle of the assembly. Two of the prisoners, the Winnebago Prophet and another Indian (who were characterized as evil men), had chains and large iron balls fastened to their legs; none of the others were shackled. [A] guard led them about for several hours every day.
The speeches now began, as yesterday. Keokuk spoke several times and pleaded for the prisoners. The general always answered in short phrases that he would intercede for them but demanded that they keep a watchful eye on the prisoners, especially the two evil men. The Indian assembly, as usual, expressed its approval with a loud ähä or äh. After General Atkinson had emphasized a number of matters for the Indians’ observation and consideration, we departed and left the Indians to speak among themselves, so they could freely give vent to their feelings. The sight of old Black Hawk and his fellow sufferers was touching, and most of those gathered here might well have felt sympathy for them.
We proceeded to the general’s dwelling. Later [we] took a walk with General Clark, on which we viewed the long, low barracks from the outside, since General Atkinson did not offer to show them to us. There is a permanent parade ground in the square formed by the buildings. The larger [parade ground] is not far away, on an elevation in the prairie. The hospital nearby is a building of medium size. The surroundings of the barracks, in which four companies are stationed, are overgrown with sparse timber, probably mostly oak. The more distant environs of all these regions are not attractive: flat prairie alternating with low thickets, which were still completely gray and devoid of all signs of life. From the elevation where the barracks are located, however, the view is very attractive, especially that of the beautiful Mississippi.
We were invited to General Atkinson’s for lunch and later had the opportunity to admire the musical talents of the general’s wife and another young lady, playing piano and harp, which accompanied energetic singing.
At three o’clock we again boarded the Warrior with the Indians; General Clark returned by land. We had a tedious voyage up the Mississippi and did not arrive in St. Louis until late that evening. In the meantime the Indians had provided much entertainment. They sang now and then [and] had repainted themselves again. I recorded words of their languages.