274 APPENDIX. 



act by the Sioux. He said his influence had been exerted in fa- 

 vour of peace ; that he had uniformly advised both chiefs and war- 

 riors to this effect ; and he stood ready now to do whatever it 

 was reasonable he should do on the subject. 



I told him it was not a question of recrimination that was be- 

 fore us. It was not even necessary to go into the inquiry of who 

 had spilt the first blood since the treaty of Prairie du Chien. 

 The treaty had been violated. The lines had been crossed. 

 Murders had been committed by the Chippewas and by the Sioux. 

 These murders had reached the ears of the President, and he 

 was resolved to put a stop to them. I did not doubt but that the 

 advice of the old chiefs, on each side, had been pacific. I did 

 not doubt but that his course had been particularly so. But rash 

 young men, of each party, had raised the war-club ; and when 

 they could not go openly, they went secretly. A stop must be 

 put to this course, and it was necessary the first movement should 

 be made somewhere. It was proper it should be made here, and 

 be made at this time. Nothing could be lost by it ; much might 

 be gained ; and if a negotiation was opened with the Sioux chiefs 

 while I remained, I would second it by sending an explanatory 

 message to the chiefs and to their agent. I recommended that 

 Kabamappa and Shakoba, the war-chief of Snake River, should 

 send jointly wampum and tobacco to the Petite Corbeau and to 

 Wabisha, the leading Sioux chiefs on the Mississippi, inviting 

 them to renew the league of friendship, and protesting their own 

 sincerity in the offer. I concluded, by presenting him with a 

 flag, tobacco, wampum, and ribands, to be used in the negotiation. 

 After a consultation, he said he would not only send the messages, 

 but, as he now had the protection of a flag, he would himself go with 

 the chief Shakoba to the Petite Corbeau's village. I accompanied 

 these renewed offers of peace with explanatory messages, in my 

 own name, to Petite Corbeau and to Wabisha, and a letter to Mr. 

 Taliaferro, the Indian agent at St. Peter's, informing him of these 

 steps, and soliciting his co-operation. A copy of this letter is 

 hereunto annexed. I closed the council by the distribution of 

 presents ; after which the Indians called my attention to the con- 

 duct of their trader, <fcc. 



Information was given me immediately after my arrival at Yel- 



