The garrison being reinforced and joined by the French settlers under the lead of CHARLES DE LANGLADE, attacked the Sauk nation at their village, where a severe battle occurred, in which several were killed on both sides, and the Sauks driven away.

The Sauks now retired to the Wisconsin river, and located upon that beautiful plateau of table land, upon which the twin villages of Prairie du Sac and Sauk City are located, where they had a fine village with comfortable houses. They were living here in 1766, when CARVER visited the country, but must have left soon after, as in 1795, according to the authentic statement of AUGUSTIN GRIGNON, the village appeared to have been several years deserted, and there were then only a few remains of fire-places and posts to be

seen.

Mr. EDWARD TANNER, in a paper published in the Detroit Gazette in January, 1819, states that he visited the Sauks on the Mississippi river about four hundred miles above St. Louis, in August, 1818, and that "they emigrated from the Wisconsin about thirty-five years ago, approximately fixing the period of their migration about 1783.

It seems probable, judging by the dim light to be derived from any authentic history and from tradition, that the Foxes and Sauks having become confederates, wrested from the Illinois their possessions, and incorporating the remnant which they spared of that numerous tribe, with their own, occupied the territory which had been the home of the Illinois. The principal seat of their power was the country about the mouth of Rock river, from whence in 1831, and more formidably and effectively in 1832, they made those forays upon the pioneer settlers of Illinois and Wisconsin, which resulted in what is generally known as the Black Hawk war.

CHAPTER III.

THE LANGLADE FAMILY.

Biography forms no part of the design of this work, except as it tends to present or explain historical facts. But not to give some account of the family that made the first permanent settlement in Wisconsin would be an unjustifiable omission.

The family of the DE LANGLADES was of the nobility of France and had their castle. New France was the great and captivating field of enterprise for the younger nobility of France whose inheritance was limited, and whose ambition for fame or desire for wealth suggested new fields of adventure. AUGUSTIN DE LANGLADE was born in France about 1695. As early as 1720 he was engaged in the Indian trade among the Ottawas, near Mackinaw, and probably had the entire control of the trade at that important point. He was married at Mackinaw, very soon after he came there, to the sister of the head Ottawa chief, King NIS-SO-WA-QUET, or as the French called him, La Fourche - The Fork, which alliance contributed largely to his influence among that

nation.

Their eldest child was a daughter, born in 1722, named AGATE, whose first husband, SOULIGNY, having died, leaving her no child, she married AMABLE ROY, with whom she lived at Green Bay, where she died at a great age, never having had any children.

Their second child was born in 1724 at the Ottawa village near Mackinaw, and was a son named CHARLES, who became greatly distinguished.

There were two younger sons, who fell with MONTCALM before Quebec, and whose names have not been preserved; also a daughter, who married a Mr. DE VERVILLE, and who had one son named GAUTIER.

While living at Mackinaw, CHARLES DE LANGLADE had a son, the result of a morganatic marriage with an Ottawa woman. He named this son for himself, recognized and educated him; and he had two sons, one of whom was a lieutenant in the British service, and two daughters, but none of them ever lived in Wisconsin.

It is very likely that Sieur AUGUSTIN DE LANGLADE ac

companied DE LIGNERY'S expedition against the Foxes in 1728. If he did not, he of course heard the account given by the officers, soldiers and Ottawas on their return, of the country in which they had been, and perhaps was invited to locate and trade there by the Indians residing there. Moreover, being engaged by the government in the Indian department, it is quite likely he was directed to locate west of Lake Michigan, the better to attend to the interests of the Indians. Whether any or all of these reasons prevailed upon him or not, it is well authenticated that in 1745 the Sieur AUGUSTIN LANGLADE, with his wife and son CHARLES, and probably also their younger children, left Mackinaw and migrated to Green Bay, where they remained till they died at advanced ages, and were when they came thither the only persons within the present boundaries of our state whose occupancy acquired any degree of permanency.

When AUGUSTIN DE LANGLADE removed to Green Bay, he was fifty years old; he continued in the pursuit of his agency for and trade with the Indians without any remarkable incidents until 1771, when he died and was buried in the old cemetery at Green Bay.

But a more active, exciting and hazardous career was to attend the life of his energetic, hardy, impulsive but brave and resolute son, CHARLES, whose name deserves to stand high in the roll of the French heroes of the wars in which that nation was engaged near the middle of the eighteenth century.

This son, the Sieur CHARLES DE LANGLADE, was on the 12th of August, 1754, married at Mackinaw to CHARLOTTE BOURASSA, the daughter of RENE BOURASSA, a retired voyageur living at Mackinaw. The marriage certificate is signed by the Roman Catholic priest, Father M. L. LE FRANC, and witnessed by M. HERBIN, commandant of the post and fourteen others. Madam LANGLADE continued to reside at Mackinaw from the time of her marriage until 1760, when she left the comparatively civilized society of Mackinaw, to reside with her husband in the solitudes of Green Bay, where she continued to live until 1818, when she died at the age of seventy-five years.

The French war broke out in 1754; CHARLES DE LANGLADE had only a short time previously led the French settlers against the Sacs, who, aided by re-enforcements from the garrison, had expelled those Indians from the Fox river and

driven them to the banks of the Wisconsin. His standing and reputation for bravery and discretion were established. At the commencement of this war, DE LANGLADE was but thirty years of age; but his high character, his experience in border service for twenty years-for his war exploits commenced at the age of ten-his personal relationship to the powerful Ottawas, his knowledge of their language and that of the other neighboring tribes, and his great influence over them, conspired to induce the Marquis VAUDREUIL, governor-general of New France and Louisiana, to select him to raise the tribes of the Northwest and to place him at the head of the partisan forces of the border French and Indians, in the great and savage conflict about to commence. The force under the command of DE LANGLADE, besides the French, was composed of Ottawas, Chippewas, Menomonees, Winnebagoes, Pottawottamies, Hurons or Wyandotts, and perhaps others, among whom were LaFourche and Pontiac, and numbered not far from fifteen hundred. They repaired at once to Fort Du Quesne for its defense against the English, and also to carry the war against the frontier settlements and forts of the British colonies. The story of BRADDOCK's defeat and sanguinary repulse in his confident attempt to capture Fort Du Quesne from the French, when his splendid army, freshly imported from England, were within ten miles of the coveted prize, is too well known to all familiar with American history, to justify a detailed repetition of it. While history justly ascribes the result largely, if not chiefly, to the effective aid of the Indian allies of the French, it has nowhere done full justice to the Sieur CHARLES DE LANGLADE, to whose importunities it was due that DE BEAUJEU consented to enter into the fight at all. The English got to the south bank of the Monongahela about noon, halted and prepared for dinner, while the French and Indians were secreted on the opposite side of the river. DE LANGLADE went to DE BEAUJEU and told him no time should be lost, but that the attack should at once be commenced. The French commander made no reply. DE LANGLADE then called the chiefs together, and induced them to demand orders to commence the battle. Still no such orders could be obtained. Again DE LANGLADE went himself and urged the necessity of at once commencing the attack, saying to DE BEAUJEU, that if he did not intend to fight at all, it was well to act as

he did, but if fighting was to be done, then was the time to do it, while the English were eating with their arms laid aside, or while attempting to cross the river; that no other so good an opportunity could occur, and that the English were too powerful to be met in open battle. DE BEAUJEU was much disheartened, seeing the strength of the English, and seemed in great doubt what to do, but at length gave orders to commence the attack. The action was at once commenced and the English officers who had their napkins pinned over their breasts, seized their arms and took part in the conflict, and a good many of them were killed with these napkins pinned on their coats, showing how suddenly they rushed into the battle. DE BEAUJEU was killed, but the French and Indian loss was very small. Of this battle BANCROFT says, speaking of the English:

"Of eighty-six officers, twenty-six were killed, and thirty-seven were wounded. Of the men, one-half were killed or wounded. BRADDOCK braved every danger; he had five horses disabled under him; at last a bullet entered his right side and he fell mortally wounded. His secretary was shot dead; both his English aids were disabled early in the engagement, leaving the American alone to distribute his orders. Of privates, seven hundred and fourteen were killed or wounded, while of the French and Indians only three officers and thirty men fell, and but as many more were wounded."

On the 9th of August, 1756, DE LANGLADE received orders from CHEVALIER DUMAIS, Commandant of Du Quesne, to go with a party of French and Indians, and make a strike at Fort Cumberland, and learn whether the English were making any movement in the direction of the Ohio.

In the year 1757, DE LANGLADE was employed in Canada, and served under MONTCALM. With his faithful, but savage Indian followers, he rendered efficient service to that gallant French officer in the investment and final capture on the 9th of August of Fort William Henry at the head of Lake George.

On the 8th of September, 1757, VAUDREUIL issued an order of that date to

"SIEUR LANGLADE, ensign of the troops, detached from the marine, to start from this city (Montreal) immediately for the post of Michilimackinac, there to serve in the capacity of second in command under the orders of M. DE BEAUJEU, commandant at that post."

The following year he returned to Canada at the head of his French and Indian force and shared the dangers and services of that hard campaign. He and his followers formed a large and useful part of the troops stationed at Ticonderoga, when the British under General ABERCROMBIE, passing through Lake George, undertook on the 8th of