The Black Hawk War Including a Review of Black Hawk's Life
“The mounted volunteers will move in the morning under Brig.-Gen.
Whiteside, by the route of Winnebago Prophet’s village, with a view of
reaching the hostile band of Indians assembled on Rock River, near or
above Dixon’s Ferry. The regular troops will move by water and meet
the mounted troops at Prophet’s village. Should General Whiteside,
however, on reaching Prophet’s village, be of opinion that it would be
prudent to come up with the enemy with as little delay as possible, he
will move upon him, and either make him surrender at discretion, or
coerce him into submission.
“Order No. 13.
“Colonel Taylor, First Regiment, will assume the command of the
Infantry of Illinois at this place. They will move by water in
conjunction with the U.S. Infantry now under his orders, and will be
assigned to the charge of transporting a portion of the munitions,
supplies, etc., for the troops.
“Order No. 14.
“Lieut. Robert Anderson, Third Regiment Artillery, will, till further
orders, perform the duties of Assistant Inspector General of the
troops now in the field.”
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By order No. 9 Colonel Taylor was also given command of the regular
troops under orders for active service, viz.: Six companies of the Sixth
Regiment Infantry, under the command of Major Riley, and the companies
of the First Regiment Infantry from Fort Crawford, and Captain Harney’s
Company of the First Infantry of the garrison of Fort Armstrong.
Lieutenant Burbank,[111] Acting Quartermaster of the post, was ordered
to store such clothing, provisions and stores as should be left by the
troops under marching orders. Major Beall[112] was further charged with
the safe-keeping of the three Indian prisoners then in confinement,
which completed all arrangements for marching.
The volunteer army set out on the 10th and reached the Prophet’s village
in the afternoon. Near that place the spies which Governor Reynolds had
sent out on the 8th to reconnoiter and locate the enemy[113] met the
army and reported that they had captured an Indian, who had truly
informed them that Black Hawk was on Rock River, above Dixon’s Ferry, as
had been previously reported. Disappointed at such a delay as the march
to Black Hawk’s camp would incur, the men fired the Prophet’s village
and burned every vestige of it–an act wholly unwarranted and useless.
About twelve miles above the Prophet’s village the army camped, and, for
reasons utterly inconceivable at this late day, decided to abandon all
the cumbersome baggage and provisions and force a march to overtake the
Indians. Whether the troops, who considered it part of their duty to
dictate policies to their superior officers, clamored for such a move,
or whether it emanated from the officer in command, has never been
explained to this day, either in books or personal interviews had by the
writer. Whiteside got all the blame for it, but I believe that his
action was governed by pressure from the headstrong militia, who desired
to accomplish too much in a limited time, and the passion of Governor
Reynolds to manage the campaign to a rapid and glorious finish. It was
an unfortunate act at best. Perishable property was piled up to waste,
unprotected and regardless of future needs. With scarcely enough to last
them in a forced march to another base, where abundance might await
them, these impatient men marched into a wilderness where defeat might
overtake them, with only rations enough to last for a period of three or
four days. This criminal indiscretion was the first cause of
dissatisfaction among the men. The commander should have known that
those who urge the most haste have for all time been first to find fault
when the first evidence of its indiscretion appears and at once vetoed
the foolhardy move.
Whiteside was a famous old Indian fighter; brave as a lion and ready and
eager at all times to meet an enemy; but he had never before handled a
large body of men, and in this case at least it may be said that bravery
alone was not an indisputable qualification for leadership. It rarely
is. It later remained for James D. Henry, in a case almost forlorn, to
terminate further moves like this injudicious one, and thereby end the
war, as he did. After writing General Atkinson of the action, Governor
Reynolds, with the troops, moved rapidly for Dixon’s Ferry, which was
reached on the 12th, where James W. Stephenson, James M. Strode and
others were found, all of whom stated that from scouts just returned it
was ascertained beyond doubt that the Indians, who had fixed upon a
point of rendezvous about thirty miles up the river, were at that time
scattered over a large area, securing food, and in all probability
recruits, and that an attempt to march against them would be useless at
that moment. Governor Reynolds at once realized the force of the point
and abandoned his projected attack and agreed to rest until Atkinson
appeared, which he hoped would be very soon. The scouts sent out, and
hereafter noticed, were sent to Shabbona’s village, and had it not been
for the unfortunate action of Stillman, there probably had been no
trouble in ending the campaign without loss of time or blood. But the
country was covered with water, the ground was swampy and almost
impassable to footmen, the river was high, and only by the most heroic
efforts was it made possible to navigate the keel boats and Mackinaw
boats upstream.[114] Men waded up to their middle to pull them along,
and then only a snail pace could be accomplished. A change to the other
side of the river was attempted, with no better results, and finally
Atkinson was compelled to issue the following order:
“Headquarters, Right Wing, West. Dept.,
“Near Marie de Ogee, Rock River, 11th May, 1832.
“Order No. 15.
“The troops on foot will move in ascending the river, in the following
order: The First Infantry will march in front, the Sixth Infantry in
the center and the Illinois Infantry in the rear. An advance guard
from the First Infantry will precede the column from 400 to 1,000
yards; a flank guard from the Sixth Infantry will be thrown out from
200 to 400 yards, and more, if necessary, according to the ground. The
Illinois Infantry will march in the rear and furnish the rear guard,
which is not at any time to leave any of the boats in the rear. The
river will be crossed to avail the troops of the best ground for
navigation and marching; the troops will encamp in the order of march.
In case of attack the troops will form to the front, the rear or upon
the flank as circumstances may demand.”
The march was slow and toilsome, but made with decency and, considering
the surface of the country, dispatch. But it was necessarily so
difficult to make progress that Atkinson did not reach Dixon’s Ferry
until the 17th, when all was confusion and the men loud in their demands
to be discharged. So utterly unmanageable had they become that it became
necessary on that day to issue the following order, and which, by the
by, was rigidly enforced by Col. Zachary Taylor:
“Headquarters, Right Wing, West. Dept.,
“Dixon’s Ferry, Rock River, 17th May, 1832.
“Order No. 16.
“The frequent unauthorized firing of arms in and about the vicinity of
the encampments of the different corps of the army, composed of the
U.S. Infantry and the State troops now in the field, compels the
Commanding General to forbid a practice so dangerous to the individual
members of the different corps and derogatory to the military
character of well-organized troops. No officer or private, therefore,
will fire again in camp or on the march without permission or an order
from the commanding officer of his regiment or company.”
From the mouth of the river the soldiers had indulged this boisterous
pastime, with no restraint whatever, and it is said that this abridgment
of their pioneer prerogative provoked much indignation, but firing at
once ceased.
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Footnote 107:
Subsequently Atty. Gen. of Ill.
Footnote 108:
Later U.S. Senator.
Footnote 109:
From Risdon Marshall Moore of San Antonio, Texas, the following
information is gathered: His father, Jonathan Moore, a brother of the
Captain, was a private in this company. The grandfather, Risdon Moore,
was Speaker of the Territorial Legislature of Illinois in 1814 and in
1822 signed the celebrated protest against slavery.
Capt. William Moore, besides being a member of the Ninth and Tenth
General Assemblies, occupied many positions of prominence. See also
“Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois.”
Footnote 110:
This roster will be found to materially differ from the “Record of the
Services of Illinois Soldiers,” published by the Adjutant General in
1882, which is shamefully inaccurate in many particulars. I
fortunately came into possession of the original “rank roll,” so
called, made by General Whiteside and Maj. Buckmaster, which has
permitted me to be accurate.
Footnote 111:
Of the First Inf. Sidney Burbank.
Footnote 112:
Thomas J. Beall, of the First Inf.
Footnote 113:
Col. John Ewing, Maj. John A. Wakefield and a Mr. Kinney, who
understood the Sac language and who served as guide.
Footnote 114:
The U.S. Infantry and Long’s foot battalion left on the 10th. The
Prophet’s village was reached on the 14th.
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CHAPTER XIX.
DIXON’S FERRY–PLIGHT OF REYNOLDS’ MESSENGERS–STILLMAN’S DEFEAT.
Dixon’s Ferry, now Dixon, Illinois, at the period of this campaign
consisted of a ferry, the simple flat-bottomed affair of those days, and
a 90-foot log cabin, built in three sections, both owned by John Dixon.
The patriarchal appearance of this old pioneer had brought to him the
title “Na-chu-sa” from the Indians, meaning in the Winnebago dialect
“Long hair white,” and from the whites “Father Dixon.” By his kindness,
gentleness, honesty and courage he had won the love of every person,
white and red, who had ever met him, and to those in the land who had
not met him his reputation had extended, so that the mention of his name
meant an overture for peace.
In the spring of 1827 his brother-in-law, O.W. Kellogg, broke a trail
through the country from Peoria to Galena, to facilitate the rapidly
increasing overland travel to the lead mines. “Kellogg’s trail,” as it
was then called, crossed Rock River at this place, and in 1828, when
Father Dixon received the contract for carrying the mails from Peoria to
Galena and Gratiot’s Grove, he took with him from Peoria to Rock River a
half-breed named Joseph Ogee,[115] who established a permanent, though
unlicensed, ferry. Prospective competition or a friend must have