Winnebago County, Wisconsin - Chapter 21, 1880

The Black Hawk War - It's Origin - Black Hawk's Statement - The Battle of Sycamore Creek - Massacre of Three Families - Baule of the Wisconsin - Battle of Bad Axe - Defeat and Capture of Black Hawk.

V^- S stated in the preceding pages, the Sauks and Foxes, after their expulsion from the Fo.x River Valley by the F"rench, settled near the mouth of the Wisconsin, and gradually extended their possessions southward until they embraced what now constitutes the Southwestern portion of Wisconsin and Northwestern part of Illinois. One of their principal villages was on Rock Island, and there Black Hawk was born. Two or three generations must have been born there at the time the whites commenced to settle in that country. In 1829 the Indians complained that the whites were encroaching on their territor)-. A collision seemed imminent, when a treaty was made b)- w hich it was alleged that the Indians had relinquished their claims to the Rock River countrj-. This treaty Black Hawk declared to be fraudulent, and that his bands were not parties to it. They were, however, induced to move across the Mississippi; partly through inducements, and partly through compulsion.

In 1831, Black Hawk, with a large bodj- of his warriors, crossed back to the east side, declaring that they were unjustly deprived of their possessions, and that it was their intention of again taking possession of their old homes. They were induced, by the payment of a lot of corn and other provisions to recross.

"The trader. Colonel Da\enport, e.xplaineil to me the terms of the treaty that had been made, and said we would be obliged to leave the Illinois side of the Mississippi, and advised us to select a good place for our village and remove to it in the spring. He has great influence with the principal Fox chief, (his adopted brother,) and persuaded him to leave his village and go to the west side of the Mississippi River and build another, which he diil in the spring following.

"We learned, during the winter, that part of the lands where our village stood had been sold to individuals, and that the trader. Colonel Davenport, had bought the greater part that had been sold. The object was now plain to me why he urged us to remove. His object, we thought, was to get our lands. We held several councils that winter to determine w hat we should do, and resolved in one of them to return to our village, in the spring, as usual; and concluded that if we were removed b)' force the trader, agent, and others must be the cause, and that if found guilty of having driven us from our village, they should be killeil. "

In 1832 the entire band of Black Hawk with the women, children and old men, crossed to the Illinois side of the Mississippi, declaring their intention of settling on their old possessions.

Although they made no warlike demonstrations, the white settlers fled from their homes and took refuge in the fort. Before any actual hostilities commenced, a large body of Illinois militia, under Colonel Stillman, marched to the Indian encampment, which was on the Sycamore, a small stream bordered with a heavy growth of timber. Having approached the vicinity of the Indians, the regiment, late in the afternoon, halted and prepared for encamping for the night. While engaged in their work they partook liberally of the whiskej' with which they were abundantly supplied, even knocking in the heads of the barrels to facilitate the filling of their canteens.

Suddenly, three Indians were seen approaching them across the prairie, who had been sent by Black Hawk to procure an interview for the purpose of avoiding a collision; he alleging that he intended no hostilities, and only contemplated peaceably returning to his old home, the truth of which would seem to be confirmed by the fact of his being accompanied b\- the women and children.

As soon as Black Hawk's messengers were seen approaching, a shout was raised "Every man draw his rations of Sauk. " Then a rush was made for the horses-, and without any order or discipline they gave chase. Two of the Indians were overtaken and killed. At length, the rear of the regiment reached the timber. Here they met the whole van in rapid retreat with Black Hawk's whole force in pursuit.

A company under Captain Adams stood their ground and endeavored to cover the retreat, or rather, stampede. They lost about one-fourth of their men and were obliged to fly. The regiment, panic-stricken, fled in dismay for Ottawa, where they arrived in about four days, many of them without hats, coats, guns or horses.

Black Hawk was now unable to control his young men, so exultant were they with their victory, and so exasperated at what they deemed an uncalled for attack, that they divided up into war parties, scoured the country and attacked the poor, defenseless settlers. Fortunately, most of them had fled to places of safety. Three families living near each other. Hall's, Pettigrew's and Da\'is', were assembled at Davis's house when a partysurrounded it. After a desperate encounter, they were all killed except young Hall, who escaped and reached Ottawa, and the Misses Hall who were taken prisoners, but were subsequently delivered up; having sustained no injur)- except that arising from the terror of the occurrence, the fatigue of their rapid march, and their agonized feelings at the terrible fate of their relatives.

A large force was now organized to take the field against Black Hawk. It was composed of Illinois and Wisconsin militia, and a few companies of U. S. regulars.

Black Hawk, ha\ing failed in his attempt to form a confederac\- of the Northwestern tribes, now commenced his retreat up the Rock River, with his women and children, intending to cross the Mississippi, and find an as\lum for the latter.

From April till July, the Indians had evaded the force sent against them, by sometimes scattering into small parties, taking separate trails and rendezvousing at some place difficult of approach. During this time the)' had been driven from Sycamore Creek in Illinois, to Lake Koshkonong, in Wisconsin. For a period of over two months, they had been so closel)- pursued and harrassed that they had but little time for hunting or fishing. They suffered fearfully from hunger, and their women and children were exhausted from fatigue and want of food. Their dead bodies were frequently found on the trail. They endured famine rather than to kill and eat the ponies on which their squaws and pappqoses rode.

There are not man)' instances of greater devotion to a cause and leader, than that exhibited by this warlike tribe, under the terrible discouragements that surrounded them. Encumbered by women and children, harrassed by a superior force, they still desperately gave battle when overtaken, and then pushed forward again, in their effort to reach and cross the Mississippi.

Dodge & Henry's commands, on the nineteenth of July, struck the trails of the fugitives and followed in rapid pursuit. On the bank of Third Lake, the advance guard killed an Indian who was sitting on the newly made grave of his wife, who had probably died from exhaustion. He boldly opened his breast and invited the shot that killed him. The disconsolate creature had resolved to die on the grave of his squaw - resolutely facing his implacable foes. The next Indian shot was a Winnebago, about fi\c miles west of the lake. From this point the scouts were continually chasing Indians, and on the twenty-first inst., came upon a large body of the enemy, secreted in the undergrowth of the Wisconsin bottom. They attacked the scouts, driving them up the slope of a ridge, on the other side of which the advance forces of Dodge's command were rapidly coming up. They therefore met, near the top, when the Indians commenced firing; this was returned by the whites with deadly effect. The Indian.s then took shelter in the underbrush, when a vigorous charge destroyed them, and they fell backto the main body on the Wisconsin bottom. It having rained, and being nearly dark, the pursuit was not pushed any further.

Black Hawk states that the Indians who participated in this engagement - the battle of the Wisconsin, were his rear guard, and that they only fought to gain time, to get their squaws, children and old people across the ii\'er.

That night tiie camp was startled by the clear high sounding \oice of an Indian on an adjoining height, addressing his braves, preparatory to a night attack, as was supposed. It was afterwards ascertained that the Indian was offering terms of peace; which was to surrender, if protection was offered their women and children. Receiving no answer, they concluded that no mercy was to be e.xpected, and undercover of the darkness rapidly took up their line of retreat.

When the command learned that the Indians had effected a crossing, it marched to the Blue Mounds, and on the twenty-si.xth of July, the entire army rendezvoused at a point on the Wisconsin, and from there set out again in pursuit of the enemy. After striking the trail, dead bodies of Indians were found at intervals, who had died from wounds. They also lost a number of women and children, who died from exhaustion, produced by fatigue and hunger. On the second of August, the Indians were overtaken near the mouth of the Had Axe, collected together on the bank of the Mississippi. The command opened a fire of musketry on them, and while the battle was in progress, the Steamer Warrior came up from Prairie du Chien, and kept passing back and forth, running down all who attempted to cross the river. The cannon on the Warrior poured into the ranks of the Indians, three discharges of canister, with fearful effect. On board the Warrior was a squad of regular troops and a body of Menominee Indians, who kept up a rapid fire of musketry on them. The Indians fought desperatelj-, returning vigorously the fire of the boat, and that of the attacking party on the shore. It is said that many of them, naked to the breech-cloth, slid down into the river, where they laid with only their mouths and nostrils above water.

It is related b\' John H. Fonda, the veteran pioneer, and a participant in the battle, that "after its close, a little Indian bo>', with one of hib arms most shot off, came out of the bushes and made signs for something to eat. He seemed perfectly indifferent to pain, and only sensible of hunger; for when he carried the little naked fellow on board the boat some one gave him a piece of hard bread, and he stood and ate it, with the wounded arm dangling by the torn flesh; and sij he remained until the arm was taken off. "

The w retched creatures must have ha\c suffered fearfully u ith hunger in their rapid march to the Mississippi; and cruel and hostile as they had been, their fortitude, bra\er>- and suffering somewhat relie\es tiie obloquy that rests on their name.

But a small remnant of these once powerful tribes was now left in existence. From the early days of the French traders they had struggled against their fate. They were once the dominant tribes of this Fo.x Ri\'er valley, with which their name is inseparably associated; and the Battle of the Petite Buttes des- Morts and those of the Black Hawk War, will make- their name ever memorable in the liistoric annals of Wisconsin.