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CAMPAIGN OF 1831 - 32
(Transcribed by Sharon Wick)
The principal cause of the Indian
troubles in 1831-32, better known as the Black Hawk war, was the
determination of Black Hawk and his band to remain in their
ancient villages, located on Rock river, not far from its
junction with the Mississippi. The government having some
time previously, by various treaties, purchased the village and
the whole country from the Sac and Fox tribe of Indians, had
some of those lands surveyed, and in 1828 some of the lands in
and around the ancient village were sold; the collision between
the two races for the possession of the property produced the
first disturbance between the Indians and the government.
Seeing that war was inevitable the Governor of Illinois made a
call on the militia of the state for seven hundred men on the
26th of May, 1831, and appointed Beardstown, on the Illinois
river, as the place of rendeavous. The call was responded
to with that promptness characteristic of the early pioneers of
this state. Their habits of life were such that all were
familiar with the rifle. After marching eight days, the
mounted militia reached a point a few miles below the Sac
village on the Mississippi, where they joined the United States
forces under Gen. Gaines, and encamped in the evening. The
next morning the forces marched up to the Indian town prepared
to give the enemy battle; but in the night the Indians had
escaped and crossed the Mississippi. This ended Black
Hawk's bravado and his determination to die in his ancient
village. The number of warriors under his command was
estimated at from four to six hundred men. Black Hawk and
his band landed on the west side of the Mississippi, a few miles
below Rock Island, and there camped. "Gen. Gaines sent a
peremptory order to him and his warriors that if he and his head
men did not come to Rock Island and make a treaty of peace, he
would march his troops and give him battle at once.
................ In a few days Black Hawk and his ciefs and head
men to the number of twenty-eight, appeared at Fort Armstrong,
and on the 30th of June, 1831, in full council with Gen. Gaines
and Governor John Reynolds, signed a treaty of peace.
THE BLACK HAWK WAR IN 1832
During the winter of 1831-32 rumors
were rife that Black Hawk and his band were dissatisfied,
restless, and preparing for mischief. A chief of the
Winnebago Indians who had a village on Rock river, some thirty
miles above its confluence with the Mississippi, joined Black
Hawk, who was located on the west bank of the Father of Waters.
The chief had great influence with Black Hawk and his band.
He made them believe that all the tribes on Rock river would
join them, and that together they could bid defiance to the
whites. By this unwise counsel Black Hawk resolved to
re-cross the river, which he did in the winter of 1832.
That move proved to be their destruction. Through his
influence and zeal Black Hawk encouraged many of the Sacs and
Foxes to join him at the head of his determined warriors.
He first assembled them at old Fort Madison on the Mississippi;
subsequently, marched them up the river to the Yellow Banks,
where he pitched his tent April 6th, 1832. This armed
array of savages soon alarmed the settlers, and a general panic
spread through the whole frontier, from the Mississippi to Lake
Michigan. Many settlers in terror abandoned their homes
and farms, and the Governor decided, on the 16th of April, to
call out a large number of volunteers to operate in conjunction
with Gen. Atkinson, who was in command of the regular forces at
Rock Island. The Governor ordered the troops to rendeavous
at Beardstown on the 22d of April. We give Governor
Reynolds' circular which he addressed to the citizen-soldiers in
the crisis then pending:
"To the Militia of the Northwestern section of the State:
"FELLOW-CITIZENS:
"Your country requires your services. The Indians
have assumed a hostile attitude, and have invaded the state in
violation of the treaty of last summer. The British band
of Sacs and other hostile Indians, headed by Black Hawk, are in
possession of the Rock river country, to the great terror of the
frontier inhabitants. I consider the settlers on the
frontiers to be in imminent danger. I am in possession of
the above information from gentlemen of respectable standing,
and also from Gen. Atkinson, whose character stands high with
all classes. In possession of the above facts I have
hesitated not as to the course I should pursue. No citizen
ought to remain inactive when his country is invaded, and the
helpless part of the community are in danger. I have
called out a large detachment of militia to rendeavous at
Beardstown on the 22d. Provisions for the men and food for
the horses will be furnished in abundance. I hope my
countrymen will realize my expectations, and offer their
services, as heretofore, with promptitude and cheerfulness in
defence of their country.
"JOHN REYNOLDS"
To the stirring appeal of the Governor, the patriotic
citizens of the state and Macon county nobly responded.
Many of the best and most prominent men of the county enlisted
to protect the frontier and preserve the honor of the state, and
did signal service in the memorable events of the Black Hawk
war. Among the citizens of Macon county, who went out in
the campaign of 1832, there were as follows:
Officers. Jas. Johnson.* captain,
promoted to rank of colonel May 16th, 1832.†
First lieut. William Warnick, 1832. Second lieut. J. C.
Pugh, promoted to captain May 16th, 1832. J. D. Wright,
1st sergt; James A. Ward, 2d sergt., subsequently promoted to
the rank of 2d lieut.; Walter Bowls, 3d sergt.; Joseph Hanks,
4th sergt.; Henry M. Gorin, 1st corporal; S. R. Shepard, 2d
corporal; G. Coppenbarger, 3d corporal; James Milton, 4th
corporal. The following were privates: - Asher Simpson, A.
W. Bell, Abram. Black, D. McCall, D. H. Stewart, Elisha Butler,
G. D. Smallwood, John Hanks, Jacob Lane, John Henderson, James
Querry, James Miller, John Manly, James Ennis, John Clifton,
Jesse Dickey, John Williams, John Murphy, Jacob Black, James
Herrod, Kinian Ingram, C. Hooper, Robert Smith, S. B. Dewees, S.
Miller, S. Troxel, Thos. Davenport, William Hanks, William
Adams, William Miller, William Hooper, William Cox, Joseph
Clifton.
The company was mounted rangers, and became a part of
the fifth regiment. Captain Johnson was promoted to the
rank of Colonel, on the 16th of May, and placed in command of
the fifth regiment, and Lieut. Pugh became Captain. They
were a part of the Brigade under command of Gen. Samuel D.
Whiteside. On the 12th of May they reached Dixon's ferry,
where they were joined by Major Stillman and his detachment of
275 men; Stillman declined to join Whiteside's Brigade.
Majors Stillman and Baily received orders to go to "Old Man's
Creek," now Stillman's run, to ascertain the movements of the
Indians. The two battalions camped about ten miles from
the ferry on the evening of the 13th. The next morning
Stillman took command of both battalions, continued the pursuit
until sunset, when they camped in "front of a small creek," (Stillman's
run), about thirty miles from Dixon. Black Hawk, learning
of their approach, sent out three men to escort them to his
camp, that a council might be held; but the men were taken
prisoners. Five others were sent out for the same purpose,
but two of them were killed. This aroused Black Hawk, and
with about forty men he met the assailants - the main body of
his warriors being about ten miles away - and routed them
completely, and in great confusion. In the fight, Major
Perkins, Capt. Adams, and nine men were killed, one of whom,
James Milton, was from Macon county. William Cox, and
others from this county, had their horses shot.
Captain William Warnick organized (the second Company)
in the summer of 1832. It was called "The Rangers."
The officers were Wm. Warnick, Captain, Elisha Freeman, 1st
Lieut., Isaac Pugh, 2d Lieut., Alexander Bell, Orderly Sergeant.
The company was fifty strong. They enlisted for sixty
days, and furnished their own horses, arms, ammunition, and
provisions. This company was organized for the protection
of the frontier counties. They left Decatur June 4th,
1832, and marched to where Monticello, Ill., now stands, where
they went into camp. While here they learned that the
Indian village of Kickapoo near the head of the Big Vermillion,
had been deserted by the warriors, who had gone to assist Black
Hawk, and left their squaws, pappooses, and a few old men in
charge of the village. The company proceeded to the
village, but found that it had been entirely deserted about
three days before their arrival. At the expiration of the
sixty days, Capt. Warnick and men returned to their homes, but
were told to hold themselves in readiness for further service.
They were finally discharged 113 days after their enlistment.
Each man of this company received for his services, $52.00, and
a land warrant for 160 acres of land.
There may have been others, but these are all the names
that we have been able to gather, as no official record has been
preserved at Springfield. Few of the hardy soldiers of
this war remain with us; many after the war was ended moved to
other sections of the country, and many have passed over the
river and are now in the embrace of the silent sleep of death.
The force marched to the month of Rock river, where
General Atkinson received the volunteers into the United States
service and assumed command. Black Hawk and his warriors
were still up on the Rock river.
The army under Atkinson commenced its march up the
river on the 9th of May. Gov. Reynolds, the gallant "Old
Ranger," remained with the army, and the President recognized
him as a major general, and he was paid accordingly. His
presence in the army did much toward harmonizing and
conciliating these jealousies which generally exist between
volunteers and regular troops. Major John A. Wakefield and
Colonel Ewing acted as spies for a time in the campaign of '32,
to discover the location of the enemy, if possible. A Mr.
Kinney acted as guide for them; he understood the Sac dialect.
On the 14th of May, 1832, Major Stillman's command had a sort of
running battle with the Indians at or near what is now known as
Stillman's run, a small, sluggish stream. In this
engagement eleven white men and eight Indians were killed.
Black Hawk and warriors fought with the spirit born of
desperation. Black Hawk says in his book that he tried at
Stillman's run to call back his warriors, as he thought the
whites were making a sham retreat in order to draw him into an
ambuscade of the whole army under Gen. Whiteside. The
hasty retreat and rout of Stillman and his army was, in a
measure, demoralizing to the entire forces. Undoubtedly
the cause of the defeat was a lack of discipline. When
Gov. Reynolds learned of the disaster of Major Stillman, he at
once ordered out two thousand additional volunteers. With
that promptitude characteristic of the old "War Governor," he
wrote out by candle-light on the evening of Stillman's defeat,
the order for the additional troops, and by daylight dispatched
John Ewing, Robert Blackwell, and John A. Wakefield to
distribute the order to the various counties. The
volunteers again promptly responded; however, the soldiers from
this county did but little fighting. On the 10th of July
the army disbanded for want of provisions. Gen. Scott
arrived soon after with a large force at the post of Chicago, to
effect, if possible, a treaty with the Indians. Small
detachments of Black Hawk's warriors would persistently hang on
the outskirts of the main body of the army, thieve and plunder,
and pounce upon and kill the lonely sentinel or straggling
soldier. On the 15th of July the soldiers were reviewed,
and those incapable of duty were discharged and returned home.
Poquette, a half-breed, and a Winnebago chief, the "White
Pawnee," were selected for guides to the camp of Black Hawk and
band. Several battles and skirmishes occurred with the
enemy, the principal of which was on the banks of the
Mississippi, where the warriors fought with great desperation.
Over one hundred and fifty were killed in the engagement, and
large numbers drowned in attempting to swim the river.
After the battle the volunteers were marched to Dixon, where
they were discharged. This ended the campaign and the
Black Hawk war. At the battle of the Bad Axe, Black Hawk
and some of his warriors escaped the Americans, and had gone up
on the Wisconsin river, but subsequently surrendered himself.
Fort Armstrong, on Rock Island, was the place appointed where a
treaty would be made with the Indians, but before it was
effected, that dreadful scourge, the cholera of 1832, visited
not only the regular army, depleting its ranks far more rapidly
than the balls of the Indians had done, but it also sought out
its many victims in the dusky bands of the Black Hawk tribe.
On the 15th of September, 1832, a treaty was made with
the Winnebago Indians. They sold out all their lands in
Illinois and all south of the Wisconsin river and west of Green
bay, and the government gave them a large district of country
west of the Mississippi, and ten thousand dollars a year for
seven years, besides providing free schools for their children
for twenty years, oxen, agricultural implements, etc. etc.
September 21st, 1832, a treaty was made with all the
Sac and Fox tribes, on which they ceded to the United States the
tract of country on which a few years afterwards the State of
Iowa was formed. In consideration of the above cession of
lands, the government gave them an annuity of twenty thousand
dollars for thirty years, forty kegs of tobacco and forty
barrels of salt, more gunsmiths, blacksmith shop, etc., etc.,
six thousand bushels of corn for immediate support, mostly
intended for the Black Hawk band.
The treaties above mentioned terminated favorably, and
the security resulting therefrom gave a new and rapid impetus to
the development of the state, and now enterprising towns and
villages, and beautiful farms, adorn the rich and alluvial
prairies that before were only desecrated by the wild bands who
inhabited them. Agricultural pursuits, commence and
manufactures, churches and schools, are lending their influence
to advance an intelligent and prosperous people.
------
*These men enlisted April 21th, 1832, for the term
of thirty-five days.
†For list of names of
those who went to the Black Hawk war, we are indebted to Smith's
History of Macon county. |
