True, the Indians deserved rights at least not to be slaughtered, but even when the fed. gov. was slaughtering Indians they at times had help in their killings.
In 1833 the fed. gov. cornered the Sac Indians led by Chief Black Hawk near the Bad Axe River about thirty miles south of La Crosse, Wis. my hometown. A fierce engagement of hostilities began.
After being forced out of Illinois, the starving Sac had left their reservation in Iowa looking for food. They wandered back across the Mississippi into Illinois and then into Wisconsin chased by fed. troops. The gov. caught them near the mouth of the Bad Axe River. Many Sac women and children were killed as well as male warriors.
During the battle some Sac Indians tried to escape back across the Mississippi where they were met by their old enemies, the Sioux, who were more than glad to help the gov. slaughter the Sac.
No excuses for the senseless slaughter of the Sac by our gov., but other Indian tribes were equally guilty of senseless slaughter even of other Indian tribes.