Henry Gratiot
Encyclopedia
Colonel Henry Gratiot was a French-American pioneer, trader and businessman who, during the Winnebago
and Black Hawk War
s, acted as both an intermediary and early U.S. Indian agent
to the Winnebagos
throughout the early 19th century. He and his brother Jean Pierre, were one the first pioneers to settle in Wisconsin operating a successful mining and smelting business during the 1820s and 1830s. Both the present-day village of Gratiot, Wisconsin
and the town of Gratiot (town), Wisconsin
are named in his honor.
and Victoire Chouteau, Henry Gratiot was born in St. Louis, Missouri
. He became engaged to Susan Hempstead, only two years after her family arrived from Connecticut
, and the two eventually married on June 21, 1813. The youngest daughter of Revolutionary War
soldier Stephen Hempstead, her brothers included Edward Hempstead
, the first congressional delegate for the Missouri 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.
In October 1825, following the admission of Missouri as a slave state
, the 36-year-old Gratiot moved his family to the Fever River lead mines region (present-day Galena, Illinois
) due to his opposition to slavery and his wish to raise his family in a free state. With the discovery of lead ore in the region in 1826, he and his younger brother Jean Pierre "Bunion" Gratiot became interested in the mineral lands of present-day Shullsburg, 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 at Gratiot's Grove
in what is now Lafayette County, Wisconsin
. Employing sixty Frenchmen and using six furnaces, the brothers would undertake nearly all smelting for the entire region for several years.
Although warned by the Winnebagos before their uprising
against the United States
the following summer, Gratiot allowed American forces in 1827 to build a stockade at Gratiot's Grove
later renamed Fort Gratiot by the Americans. The women and children in the surrounding area were escorted from the fort to Galena
and then to St. Louis.
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 negotiate annuity 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 and was later appointed an official Indian subagent to the Winnebago for the region south of Prairie du Chien in March 1831.
, he exerted his influence with the Winnebago acting as an intermediary in his efforts to negotiate peace and maintain stability in the region. Journeying to Prophet's Town in early-1832, he stayed with Black Hawk
from April 25–27; however, Black Hawk refused to hear the message he had been given from General Henry Atkinson.
He did, however, side with the U.S. authorities in securing the release of American hostages and prisoners as seen when working with Chief Wabaunsee
and members the Winnebago to negotiate the release of Indian Creek Massacre
survivors Rachel and Sylvia Hall as, on May 25, 1832, he and Colonel Henry Dodge
held council with the Winnebago 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." 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 at Blue Mounds Fort
on June 3.
He was later called on by General Edmund P. Gaines
to investigate the rumors that the Winnebagos under the Winnebago Prophet, along with the Kickapoos and the Potawatomis, were attempting to join up with Black Hawk's British Band
after being invited to join their ranks. Finding the Winnebago Prophet and several of his followers at Saukenuk, 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. 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.
had become deserted by 1833 with exception to "a few straggling Winnebagos who lingered in the country."
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 a gentleman 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.
During the fall of 1835, four chieftains representing the remaining bands from Rock River
to Gratiot's Grove met with Gratiot to discuss the payments of annuities which had ceased "by some bad management" and had left the "Indains [sic] on Rock River ... are almost [sic] starved and naked." 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 for Washington, D.C.
in early 1836 to clear up the matter.
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 began favoring 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 reached Baltimore, 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 General Charles Gratiot
, General George W. Jones
, Captain Henry A. Thompson
and Chief Justice Roger B. Taney
among others.
Of his four children, two of his sons Charles and Edward Gratiot both had distinguished careers in the US Army, the latter serving as a volunteer US Army paymaster
. His only surviving daughter became the wife of Congressman Elihu Benjamin Washburne, who later published his biography Henry Gratiot, a Pioneer of Wisconsin (1884) based on speeches Washburne had delivered to the State Historical Society of Wisconsin during the early 1880s. Among his historical publications, this was considered his finest work.
Winnebago War
The Winnebago War was a brief conflict that took place in 1827 in the Upper Mississippi River region of the United States, primarily in what is now the state of Wisconsin. Not quite a war, the hostilities were limited to a few attacks on American civilians by a portion of the Winnebago Native...
and Black Hawk War
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a brief conflict fought in 1832 between the United States and Native Americans headed by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis, and Kickapoos known as the "British Band" crossed the Mississippi River into the U.S....
s, acted as both an intermediary and early U.S. Indian agent
Indian agent
In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with Native American tribes on behalf of the U.S. government.-Indian agents:*Leander Clark was agent for the Sac and Fox in Iowa beginning in 1866....
to the Winnebagos
Ho-Chunk
The Ho-Chunk, also known as Winnebago, are a tribe of Native Americans, native to what is now Wisconsin and Illinois. There are two federally recognized Ho-Chunk tribes, the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin and Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska....
throughout the early 19th century. He and his brother Jean Pierre, were one the first pioneers to settle in Wisconsin operating a successful mining and smelting business during the 1820s and 1830s. Both the present-day village of Gratiot, Wisconsin
Gratiot, Wisconsin
Gratiot is a village in Lafayette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 252 at the 2000 census. The village is located within the Town of Gratiot.-Geography:Gratiot is located at ....
and the town of Gratiot (town), Wisconsin
Gratiot (town), Wisconsin
Gratiot is a town in Lafayette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 653 at the 2000 census. The Village of Gratiot is located within the town. The unincorporated community of Riverside is also located in the town...
are named in his honor.
Early life
The second eldest son of Illinois pioneer Charles Gratiot, Sr.Charles Gratiot, Sr.
Charles Gratiot was a merchant trader in the American Midwest during the American Revolution. He financed George Rogers Clark with $8,000 for his Illinois campaign, which was never reimbursed....
and Victoire Chouteau, Henry Gratiot was born in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. He became engaged to Susan Hempstead, only two years after her family arrived from Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, and the two eventually married on June 21, 1813. The youngest daughter of Revolutionary War
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
soldier Stephen Hempstead, her brothers included Edward Hempstead
Edward Hempstead
Edward Hempstead was an American lawyer, pioneer, and one of the early settlers in the new Louisiana Purchase in 1805. Born in New London, Connecticut, Hempstead was the delegate in the U.S. House for the Missouri Territory from 1812 to 1814...
, the first congressional delegate for the Missouri Territory
Missouri Territory
The Territory of Missouri was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 4, 1812 until August 10, 1821, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Missouri.-History:...
, 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.
In October 1825, following the admission of Missouri as a slave state
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was an agreement passed in 1820 between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States Congress, involving primarily the regulation of slavery in the western territories. It prohibited slavery in the former Louisiana Territory north of the parallel 36°30'...
, the 36-year-old Gratiot moved his family to the Fever River lead mines region (present-day Galena, Illinois
Galena, Illinois
Galena is the county seat of, and largest city in, Jo Daviess County, Illinois in the United States, with a population of 3,429 in 2010. The city is a popular tourist destination known for its history, historical architecture, and ski and golf resorts. Galena was the residence of Ulysses S...
) due to his opposition to slavery and his wish to raise his family in a free state. With the discovery of lead ore in the region in 1826, he and his younger brother Jean Pierre "Bunion" Gratiot became interested in the mineral lands of present-day Shullsburg, Wisconsin
Shullsburg, Wisconsin
Shullsburg is a city in Lafayette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,246 at the 2000 census. The city is located within the Town of Shullsburg.-Geography:...
. 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 at Gratiot's Grove
Gratiot's Grove (Wisconsin)
Gratiot's Grove was a mining settlement and later a frontier fort during the Black Hawk War in the Michigan Territory later Lafayette County, Wisconsin.-History:...
in what is now Lafayette County, Wisconsin
Lafayette County, Wisconsin
Lafayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 16,137. Its county seat is Darlington.-Geography:According to the U.S...
. Employing sixty Frenchmen and using six furnaces, the brothers would undertake nearly all smelting for the entire region for several years.
Association with the Winnebagos
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. The Winnebago 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."Although warned by the Winnebagos before their uprising
Winnebago War
The Winnebago War was a brief conflict that took place in 1827 in the Upper Mississippi River region of the United States, primarily in what is now the state of Wisconsin. Not quite a war, the hostilities were limited to a few attacks on American civilians by a portion of the Winnebago Native...
against the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
the following summer, Gratiot allowed American forces in 1827 to build a stockade at Gratiot's Grove
Gratiot's Grove (Wisconsin)
Gratiot's Grove was a mining settlement and later a frontier fort during the Black Hawk War in the Michigan Territory later Lafayette County, Wisconsin.-History:...
later renamed Fort Gratiot by the Americans. The women and children in the surrounding area were escorted from the fort to Galena
Galena, Illinois
Galena is the county seat of, and largest city in, Jo Daviess County, Illinois in the United States, with a population of 3,429 in 2010. The city is a popular tourist destination known for its history, historical architecture, and ski and golf resorts. Galena was the residence of Ulysses S...
and then to St. Louis.
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 negotiate annuity 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 and was later appointed an official Indian subagent to the Winnebago for the region south of Prairie du Chien in March 1831.
Black Hawk War
During the Black Hawk WarBlack Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a brief conflict fought in 1832 between the United States and Native Americans headed by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis, and Kickapoos known as the "British Band" crossed the Mississippi River into the U.S....
, he exerted his influence with the Winnebago acting as an intermediary in his efforts to negotiate peace and maintain stability in the region. Journeying to Prophet's Town in early-1832, he stayed with Black Hawk
Black Hawk (chief)
Black Hawk was a leader and warrior of the Sauk American Indian tribe in what is now the United States. Although he had inherited an important historic medicine bundle, he was not one of the Sauk's hereditary civil chiefs...
from April 25–27; however, Black Hawk refused to hear the message he had been given from General Henry Atkinson.
He did, however, side with the U.S. authorities in securing the release of American hostages and prisoners as seen when working with Chief Wabaunsee
Chief Wabaunsee
Waubonsie was a leader of the Potawatomi Native American people. His name has been spelled in a variety of ways, including Wabaunsee, Wah-bahn-se, Waubonsee, Waabaansii in the contemporary Ojibwe language, and Wabansi in the contemporary Potawatomi language.-Biography:The documentary record of...
and members the Winnebago to negotiate the release of Indian Creek Massacre
Indian Creek Massacre
The Indian Creek massacre occurred on May 21, 1832, when a group of United States settlers in LaSalle County, Illinois, were attacked by a party of Native Americans. The massacre was sparked by the outbreak of the Black Hawk War, but it was not directly related to Sauk leader Black Hawk's conflict...
survivors Rachel and Sylvia Hall as, on May 25, 1832, he and Colonel Henry Dodge
Henry Dodge
Henry Dodge was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, Territorial Governor of Wisconsin and a veteran of the Black Hawk War. His son was Augustus C. Dodge with whom he served in the U.S. Senate, the first, and so far only, father-son pair to serve concurrently....
held council with the Winnebago 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." 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 at Blue Mounds Fort
Blue Mounds Fort
Fort Blue Mounds, also known as Blue Mounds Fort, was located in Blue Mounds, Dane County, Wisconsin, USA.-History:The settlement of Blue Mounds was founded in 1828 by Ebenezer Brigham on the south slope of the eastern mound of the Blue Mounds...
on June 3.
He was later called on by General Edmund P. Gaines
Edmund P. Gaines
Edmund Pendleton Gaines was a United States army officer who served with distinction during the War of 1812, the Seminole Wars and the Black Hawk War.-Early life:...
to investigate the rumors that the Winnebagos under the Winnebago Prophet, along with the Kickapoos and the Potawatomis, were attempting to join up with Black Hawk's British Band
British Band
The British Band was a group of Native Americans which fought against Illinois and Michigan Territory militia units during the 1832 Black Hawk War. The band was composed of about 1,500 men, women, and children from the Sauk, Meskwaki, Fox, Kickapoo, Potawatomi, Ho-Chunk, and Ottawa nations;...
after being invited to join their ranks. Finding the Winnebago Prophet and several of his followers at Saukenuk, 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. 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.
Later years
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 and DubuqueDubuque, Iowa
Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....
had become deserted by 1833 with exception to "a few straggling Winnebagos who lingered in the country."
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 a gentleman 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.
During the fall of 1835, four chieftains representing the remaining bands from Rock River
Rock River (Illinois)
The Rock River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Illinois. It rises in southeast Wisconsin, in the Theresa Marsh near Theresa, Wisconsin in northeast Dodge County, Wisconsin approximately south of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin...
to Gratiot's Grove met with Gratiot to discuss the payments of annuities which had ceased "by some bad management" and had left the "Indains [sic] on Rock River ... are almost [sic] starved and naked." 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 for Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in early 1836 to clear up the matter.
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 began favoring their removal
Indian Removal
Indian removal was a nineteenth century policy of the government of the United States to relocate Native American tribes living east of the Mississippi River to lands west of the river...
. While visiting the capital, he contracted a severe cold which grew worse when he attempted to travel back to Wisconsin. By the time he reached Baltimore, 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 General Charles Gratiot
Charles Gratiot
Charles Gratiot, Jr. was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He was the son of Charles Gratiot, Sr., a fur trader in the Illinois country during the American Revolution, and Victoire Chouteau, who was from an important mercantile family. His father became a wealthy merchant during the early years of St....
, General George W. Jones
George W. Jones
George Wallace Jones , a frontiersman, entrepreneur, attorney, and judge, was among the first two United States Senators to represent the state of Iowa after it was admitted to the Union in 1846...
, Captain Henry A. Thompson
Henry A. Thompson
Henry A. Thompson was a U.S. Marine stationed aboard the during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Second Battle of Fort Fisher on January 15, 1865.-Military service:...
and Chief Justice Roger B. Taney
Roger B. Taney
Roger Brooke Taney was the fifth Chief Justice of the United States, holding that office from 1836 until his death in 1864. He was the first Roman Catholic to hold that office or sit on the Supreme Court of the United States. He was also the eleventh United States Attorney General. He is most...
among others.
Of his four children, two of his sons Charles and Edward Gratiot both had distinguished careers in the US Army, the latter serving as a volunteer US Army paymaster
Paymaster
A paymaster often is, but is not required to be, a lawyer . When dealing with commission payments on contracts dealing with large amounts of money , most banks in the United States are very wary of handling such large amounts of money...
. His only surviving daughter became the wife of Congressman Elihu Benjamin Washburne, who later published his biography Henry Gratiot, a Pioneer of Wisconsin (1884) based on speeches Washburne had delivered to the State Historical Society of Wisconsin during the early 1880s. Among his historical publications, this was considered his finest work.
Further reading
- Swiss-American Historical Society. Prominent Americans of Swiss Origin: A Compilation Prepared by the Swiss. New York: James T. White & Co., 1932.
- Wakefield, John Allen and Frank Everett Stevens. Wakefield's History of the Black Hawk War: A Reprint of the 1st Edition. Chicago: Caxton Club, 1908.