26 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters. 
a great “Medicine Peast,” or a “Smoke to the Great Spirit/’ 
Then they hoped to secure permission to plant large fields of corn 
in that locality and to postpone their removal until the autumn. 
In the meanwhile, Colonel Henry Dodge, who had been on the 
southwestern frontier organizing his regiment of dragoons, ar¬ 
rived at his home in Dodgeville. He had also been, during part 
of the winter, at Washington, where he was hailed as the victor 
over Black Hawk. He then proceeded to his Wisconsin home via 
Dixon’s Ferry, where he heard the news of the Indian gathering. 
He wrote on April 13th, to General Alexander Macomb of the 
United States army, that he had seen Gratiot, who informed him 
that the Winnebago were peaceful, and that they requested until 
fall to make their removal. This, Dodge asserted, would by no 
means to be tolerated by the frontier inhabitants. The tribesmen 
must go before June 1st. He ordered two companies of his newly- 
enlisted dragoons to march at once for the Illinois River and to 
be ready when ordered to advance into the Rock River region. 
Meanwhile Dodge met Kinzie, who assured him that the Winnebago 
were much frightened and would accede to any proposals from 
Dodge and their agents; that they were still in a state of semi¬ 
starvation and in great dread of the future. 
Dodge decided to hold a conference with the principal chiefs 
at the Four Lakes, and sent them word to meet him at the old 
council ground on Fourth Lake, where he had talked with them 
the previous May, and restrained them from joining Black Hawk. 
April 28th was the day appointed. Dodge, Gratiot, and Kinzie 
arrived with their escorts; all the principal chiefs of the Rock 
River were there—Whirling Thunder, White Crow, Little Priest, 
Little Black, Spotted Arm, White Breast, and others. The Indians 
made their plea for time, which Dodge refused; they then asked 
for help to remove their families, for wagons and oxen to portage 
their canoes from the Rock River headwaters to the Wisconsin, 
and for provisions to enable them to live. These requests the white 
men granted. Dodge ordered his two companies of dragoons 
under Captains Browne and Beekes to bring wagons from Illinois; 
Gratiot ordered three wagons full of corn from Galena, and wrote 
to Governor Porter that he would be in person at Four Lakes by 
May 15th to superintend the distribution of rations. 
Meanwhile the Winnebago of the lake of their name and of the 
upper Fox River had begun their removal to the Baraboo Valley. 
The Rock River Indians decided to settle on Sauk Prairie, where 
