The General pulled off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, and directed an
orderly to tear off strips of red flannel, fill a bucket with brandy and
carry them to the hospital. On arriving at the bedside of a patient he
directed him to be stripped, and then with flannel soaked in brandy he
rubbed his chest thoroughly, in order to bring on a reaction, in the
meantime administering a little brandy with a spoon. In the course of
half an hour he returned and reported progress. He said he left his
patient free from pain, and directed a small portion of the brandy to be
given occasionally.
The well soldiers, seeing that their General was not afraid of cholera,
nor too proud to act as nurse to a sick soldier, took courage and
insisted on his retiring, so that they could fill his place. Seeing that
new life had been infused among the well soldiers, and a gleam of hope
seeming to inspire the sick, he gave directions for them to continue, as
he had commenced, and then retired.
On returning to his quarters he washed his hands, rolled down his
sleeves, put on his uniform, and then invited us to take a little
brandy. After listening to his mode of treatment, we casually remarked
that it looked feasible, but at the same time reprehensible in the
General of the army exposing himself in the performance of a duty that
could be done as well by a common soldier. He gave us a look, and kept
his eyes upon us as his giant form raised up, and, with a sweep of his
sword arm, said in majestic tones: "Sir, it is the duty of a General to
take care of his army; should he fall another can take his place; but,
without an army his occupation is gone!"
The General's treatment was continued right along, and the result was
that many of those attacked got well.
Soon after the close of the war, which terminated with the battle of
Bad Axe, on the second day of August, 1832, he came to Galena, and, in
conference with Governor John Reynolds, ordered the chiefs head men and
warriors of the Winnebago Nation to meet them at Fort Armstrong, Rock
Island, on the 15th day of September, 1832, for the purpose of holding a
treaty.
At the time fixed by the Commissioners they were met by the chiefs, head
men and warriors of the Winnebago Nation, with whom a treaty was made
and concluded, by which the Winnebagoes ceded to the United States all
the lands claimed by them lying to the south and east of Wisconsin river
and the Fox river of Green Bay. The consideration of this cession on the
part of the United States, to be a grant to the Winnebago Nation of a
tract on the west side of the Mississippi river known as the neutral
ground and annual annuities for twenty-seven years of $10,000 in specie
and a further sum, not to exceed $3,000 annually, for the purposes of
maintaining a farm and a school for the education of Winnebago children
during the same period of twenty-seven years.