Henry Gratiot | |
|---|---|
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| Born | (1789-04-25)April 25, 1789 |
| Died | April 27, 1836(1836-04-27) (aged 47) |
| Other names | Colonel Henry Gratiot |
| Occupations | farmer, mill owner, mine owner, smelter, trader, Indian agent |
| Employer(s) | self employed,U.S. Government |
| Known for | U.S. Indian Agent to theWinnebago during theWinnebago War andBlack Hawk War |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent(s) | Charles Gratiot, Sr. and Victoire Chouteau |
| Relatives | 12 siblings; includingCharles Gratiot, Jr. |
ColonelHenry Gratiot (April 25, 1789 – April 27, 1836) was a French-American pioneer, farmer, and mill owner. During theWinnebago andBlack Hawk Wars, he acted as both an intermediary and early U.S.Indian agent to theWinnebagos throughout the early 19th century.[1] He and his brother Jean Pierre were among the first pioneers to settle inWisconsin, operating a successful lead mining and lead smelting business, during the 1820s and 1830s. Both, the present-day village ofGratiot, Wisconsin and the town ofGratiot, Wisconsin are named in his honor.[2]
The second eldest son of Illinois pioneerCharles Gratiot, Sr. and Victoire Chouteau, Henry Gratiot was born inSt. Louis,Spanish Upper Louisiana Territory, in the present-day State ofMissouri. He became engaged to Susan Hempstead, only two years after her family arrived fromConnecticut, and the two eventually married on June 21, 1813. The youngest daughter ofRevolutionary War soldier Stephen Hempstead, her brothers includedEdward Hempstead, the first congressional delegate for theMissouri Territory, as well as prominent lawyer Charles S. Hempstead and businessman William Hempstead. He and his wife would live at a small farm and mill, west of St. Louis, for the next several years.[3]
In October 1825, following theadmission of Missouri as a slave state, the 36-year-old Gratiot moved his family to theFever River lead mines region (present-dayGalena, Illinois) due to his opposition to slavery and his wish to raise his family in afree state. With the discovery oflead ore in the region in 1826, he and his younger brother Jean Pierre Bugnion Gratiot became interested in the mineral lands of present-dayShullsburg, Wisconsin. Purchasing the right to mine the area from the local Winnebagos, he and his brother were the first to develop a successful mining and smelting operation atGratiot's Grove in what is nowLafayette County, Wisconsin. Employing sixty Frenchmen and using six furnaces,[4] the brothers would undertake nearly all smelting for the entire region for several years.[5]
During this time, he and his wife became friendly with the local Winnebagos visiting them during the winter of 1826-27. They eventually befriended a mixed-blood woman, Catharine Mayotte, who had doctored Susan Gratiot for a time and with whom they exchanged gifts and information. Developing a close friendship, the three would remain in contact between 1827 and 1835. TheWinnebago Prophet as well spoke highly of Henry Gratiot who"..came as a 'Chouteau' ... welcome[d] him to his village; but if he came as a white man he must consider him, like all white men, an enemy."[6]
Although warned by the Winnebagos beforetheir uprising against theUnited States the following summer, Gratiot allowed American forces in 1827 to build a stockade atGratiot's Grove later renamed Fort Gratiot by the Americans. The women and children in the surrounding area were escorted from the fort toGalena and then to St. Louis.[6]
After their defeat, the Winnebago left the area in droves although a few remained for a while longer to trade with arriving American settlers. Appointed a subagent for the Winnebago in 1830, he traveled father into the Wisconsin wilderness to negotiateannuity payments on behalf of the U.S. government. He would also be present at the signing of several treaties between the Winnebago and the United States[7][8] and was later appointed an official Indian subagent to the Winnebago for the region south ofPrairie du Chien in March 1831.[9]
During theBlack Hawk War, he exerted his influence with the Winnebago acting as an intermediary in his efforts to negotiate peace and maintain stability in the region. Journeying toProphet's Town in early-1832, he stayed withBlack Hawk from April 25–27; however, Black Hawk refused to hear the message he had been given from GeneralHenry Atkinson.[10]
Gratiot did, however, side with the U.S. authorities, in securing the release of American hostages and prisoners, as seen when working withChief Wabaunsee and members the Winnebago, to negotiate the release ofIndian Creek Massacre survivors, Rachel and Sylvia Hall. On May 25, 1832, he and ColonelHenry Dodge held council with the Winnebagos, as to their position in the war to, which the Winnebago gave their assurance of fidelity in the conflict,"though little reliance was placed on their sincerity."[11] During this meeting, he sent Winnebago chieftain White Crow to Black Hawk's camp purchasing their freedom in exchange for horses and various trinkets valued at $2,000. The young women were later, delivered to Gratiot atBlue Mounds Fort on June 3.[11]
He was later, called on by GeneralEdmund P. Gaines to investigate the rumors that the Winnebagos under the Winnebago Prophet, along with theKickapoos and thePotawatomis, were attempting to join up with Black Hawk'sBritish Band after being invited to join their ranks. Finding the Winnebago Prophet and several of his followers atSaukenuk, he persuaded them to return to their village. The Prophet did not remain at his lodge for long and resumed recruiting for Black Hawk in Winnebago villages upriver, however he was ultimately unsuccessful in this venture.[12] The activities of the Rock River Winnebagos during the war, including several speeches by several prominent Winnebagos, were recorded by Gratiot in his personal diary.[13]
Despite his efforts, relations between the United States and the Winnebago rapidly deteriorated following the end of the Black Hawk War. As American settlement of the territory continued, the native and mixed-blood population near Gratiot's Grove as well as in the areas of Galena andDubuque had become deserted by 1833 with exception to "a few straggling Winnebagos who lingered in the country."[6]
He resigned his position as an Indian agent the following year and, closing his mining business, he bought a section of land in which he built a small house outside of Gratiot's Grove to retire as agentleman farmer. He and his wife still continued their friendship with the Winnebago who made visits to their home every autumn camping under the pine trees near their new home.[6]
During the fall of 1835, four chieftains representing the remaining bands fromRock River to Gratiot's Grove met with Gratiot to discuss the payments of annuities which had ceased "by some bad management".[6] It was reported to Gratiot that the "Indains [sic] on Rock River ... are allmost [sic] starved and naked."[6] Gratiot then proceeded to travel to St. Louis to acquire the necessary signatures and documentation for the Rock River Winnebagos to receive payments from General Henry Atkinson before preparing to leave forWashington, D.C. in early 1836 to clear up the matter.[6]
However, by the time he was ready to leave for the capital, few Winnebagos lived near his residence and within a year, the federal government beganfavoring their removal. While visiting the capital, he contracted a severe cold which grew worse when he attempted to travel back to Wisconsin. By the time he reachedBaltimore, Maryland, he had become too ill to continue and forced to stop in Barnum's Hotel. However, his condition grew worse and died at the hotel on April 27, 1836. At the time of his death, he had been attended by his brother GeneralCharles Gratiot, GeneralGeorge Wallace Jones, CaptainHenry A. Thompson and Chief JusticeRoger B. Taney among others.[14]
Of his four children, two of his sons Charles and Edward Gratiot both had distinguished careers in theUS Army, the latter, serving as a volunteer US Armypaymaster. His only surviving daughter, Adele, became the wife of CongressmanElihu Benjamin Washburne,[15] who later published his biographyHenry Gratiot, a Pioneer of Wisconsin (1884) based on speeches Washburne had delivered to theState Historical Society of Wisconsin during the early 1880s. Among his historical publications, this was considered his finest work.[16]