The Black Hawk War Including a Review of Black Hawk's Life
father and other neighbors that the Sac and Fox Indians were hostile,
and would in all probability make a raid on the settlement where we
lived and murder us and destroy our property, and advised him to leave
that part of the country (LaSalle County, Illinois) and seek a place
of safety; but Indian rumors were so common, and some of our neighbors
did not sufficiently credit this old Indian, and we were advised by
them, in connection with others, to collect together as many as
possible and stand our ground and defend each other; so after spending
the night and consulting together and hiding all heavy property that
we could, my father loaded up his wagon and we started for Ottawa, and
meeting Mr. Davis, who lived about two and a half miles west, who had
been at Ottawa the day before, and had learned that a company had gone
out in a northerly direction, to see what they could learn about the
Indian movement, who were to report on their return, to Mr. Davis, in
case of danger, he, my dear father, was prevailed on by Davis to
abandon his retreat and stop at Davis’, where Mr. Pettigrew and
family, Mr. Howard and son, Mr. John H. Henderson and two men that
were hired by Mr. Davis, Robert Norris and Henry George, were all
stopping. On or about the 20th day of May myself and dear father were
working under a shed adjoining a blacksmith shop, and on the west
side, next to the dwelling house, Mr. Davis and Norris were at work in
the shop. Henry George and William Davis, Jr., were at work on a mill
dam a little south of the shop. It being a very warm day in the
afternoon, someone brought a bucket of cool water from the spring to
the shop, and we all went into the shop to rest a few minutes and
quench our thirst.
“Brother Edward Hall, Greenberry Hall and Mr. Howard and son,
Henderson and two of Mr. Davis’ sons were at this time in the field,
on the south side of the creek, and in full view of the house, and
about one-half mile from the house, planting corn. While we were
sitting resting ourselves in the shop, we heard a scream at the house.
I immediately said, ‘There are the Indians now!’ and jumped out of the
door of the shop, it being on the opposite side from the house, and
the others followed as fast as they could, and as we turned the corner
of the shop, I discovered the dooryard full of Indians. I next saw the
Indians jerk Mr. Pettigrew’s child, four or five months old, taking it
by the feet and dashing its brains out against a stump. Seeing Mr.
Pettigrew back in the house, I heard two guns, seemingly in the house,
and then the tomahawk soon ended the cries of those in the house, and
as near this moment as possible they fired about twenty shots at our
party of five, neither of us being hurt, that I know of. The next
motion of the Indians was to pour some powder down their guns and drop
a bullet out of their mouths and raise their guns and fire; this time
I heard a short sentence of a prayer to my right and a little behind.
On turning my eyes to the right I saw that my dear father was lying on
the ground shot in the left breast and expiring in death. On looking
around, I saw the last one of the company were gone or going, and the
Indians had jumped the fence and were making towards me. Mr. Davis was
running in a northeast direction for the timber. Looked back and said,
‘Take care,’ he having his gun in his hands. I at this time discovered
quite a number of Indians on horseback in the edge of the woods as
though they were guarding the house, to prevent any escape. Then it
flashed into my mind that I would try and save myself. I think there
were 60 or 80 Indians. I immediately turned toward the creek, which
was fifteen or twenty steps from where I stood. The Indians by this
time were within three paces of me, under full charge, with their guns
in hand. I jumped down the bank of the creek, about 12 feet, which
considerably stunned me. At this moment the third volley was fired,
the balls passing over my head, killing Mr. Norris and George, who
were ahead of me, and who had crossed the creek to the opposite shore,
one in the water and the other on the bank. I then passed as swiftly
as possible down the stream, on the side next the Indians, the bank
hiding me from them. I passed down about two miles, when I crossed and
started for Ottawa, through the prairie, overtaking Mr. Henderson, who
had started ahead of me, and we went together until we got within four
miles of Ottawa, when we fell into company with Mr. Howard and son and
three sons of Mr. Davis and my two brothers, all of whom were in the
field referred to, except one of Mr. Davis’ sons, who was in the shop
when the first alarm was given, and who immediately left when he heard
the cry of Indians. We all went to Ottawa together in the short space
of one hour or less, it being twelve miles (and the county seat of
LaSalle County). Here we aroused the inhabitants and raised a company
during the night and started the next morning for the dreadful scene
of slaughter and butchery.
“On the way we met with Stillman’s defeated troops, who had been
defeated a night or two before, they having encamped within four miles
of where the bloodthirsty Indians passed the night, after they had
killed my dear friends, and instead of going with us and helping bury
the dead, they passed on to Ottawa, and we went to the place where the
massacre took place. And what a scene presented itself! Here were some
with their hearts cut out, and others cut and lacerated in too
shocking a manner to mention, or behold without shuddering. We buried
them all in great haste, in one grave, without coffin, box or anything
of the kind, there to remain until Gabriel’s trump shall wake the
nations under the ground, and call to life the sleeping dead.
“We then returned to Ottawa and organized a company out of a few
citizens and some of Stillman’s defeated troops, into which company I
enlisted. The next day we were on the line of march, in pursuit of the
red savages, to try, if possible, to get possession of my two eldest
sisters, who were missing, and who, we were satisfied, had been
carried away with the Indians when they retreated, from signs found on
the trails. We proceeded up Rock River, above Sycamore Creek, and our
provisions failing, we returned to Ottawa and laid in provisions for a
second trip. Here I had a conversation with General Atkinson and
proposed that some means be used with friendly Indians, in order to
purchase my sisters, as I feared the Indians would, in case we
overtook them, kill my sisters. He then informed me that he had that
morning made arrangements with Winnebago Indians to try to purchase my
sisters.
“Now we started the second time in pursuit, and proceeded up Rock
River, and fell in with a company of volunteers, under General Dodge,
from whom we learned that the friendly Indians had succeeded in
obtaining my sisters, and that they were at White Oak Grove or
Springs. Then, in company with a company of regulars, under General
Atkinson’s orders, we marched to a place called the Burr Oak Grove, or
Kellogg’s old station. Here I, with some others, was detached to guard
one of the company, who had stabbed his comrade, to Galena, and we
started at midnight. Arriving at Galena, I obtained a furlough, and
went to the White Oak Springs, where I found my sisters, and returned
with them to Galena, stopping at the house of Mr. Sublets, visiting
Mr. Rhodes and Mr. Bells, who were acquaintances of father’s.
“Here we remained a week or ten days. Then bidding those kind friends
adieu on board the steamer Winnebago, we glided down Fever River to
the Mississippi, and down that stream to St. Louis, Mo., and stopped
at the Honorable William Clark’s mansion (governor of Missouri), where
we met and enjoyed the company of his kind family. Here we remained
about one week, and were made as comfortable and happy as his family
and friends could make us.
“We received presents and money, an account of which has been given by
my sisters in their statement, and here I wish to express my thanks to
those kind friends for their hospitality, sympathy and love, for I
feel that we have been brought under lasting obligations to them.
“Leaving here, we took a steamer for Beardstown, on the Illinois
River, in Cass County, near to which we had an uncle Scott living.
Arriving safely at Beardstown, we were conveyed to our uncle’s, five
miles out, where we remained a few days, and, leaving my sisters here,
I went up the Illinois River to Bureau County and lived in a camp
until I could build me a house. This county adjoins LaSalle on the
west. The Indians, having received a dreadful scourging, had become
peaceable, and in the fall I returned to Cass County and took my
sisters and returned to Bureau County again, where we tried to make
ourselves as comfortable as possible. This fall I married, and my
sisters lived with me through the winter and in the spring, after
which they both married, and now I am at the house of the eldest,
Sylvia Horn, and dictated the above lines, while my brother-in-law,
W.S. Horn, committed them to paper.
“September, 1867.
“J.W. Hall.”
In presence of:
“W.S. Horn,
“Sylvia Horn.”
Late in the afternoon of the 20th, while Capt. George McFadden, Wilbur
Walker and others who had been to ask Governor Reynolds and General
Atkinson for the four companies ordered by them to go under Colonel
Johnson were passing this point, some two miles distant, on their return
trip, the shots of that frightful massacre were heard, but in their
haste to reach their own settlements they did not pause to investigate
the cause.
The following day the company of Capt. Joseph Naper, from Chicago, which
had been ranging the country, reached the scene and buried all the dead
except little Jimmie Davis, a lad of seven years, who had been spared at
first and taken along, but who, being unable to keep the pace demanded,
was shot a short distance out. The scene was awful, but the lad showed a
spirit of fortitude attained by none other in this war of brutal
slaughter. The two Indians who had him in charge held him between them,
one by each hand, while another shot him down in cold blood, and then,
before life was extinct, his scalp was lifted and his body left a prey
for wolves or carrion birds. The little fellow blanched like marble, but
received the fatal shot without a quaver. Later his body was fortunately
discovered and buried with the others.
To-qua-mee and Co-mee, who were indicted for complicity in the murders,
were brought to bar for the crime, but by reason of the uncertainty of
the times and judges to try them, the first term of court passed with
nothing done except to admit the culprits to bail on the bond of
Shab-bo-na, Shem-e-non, Snock-wine, Sha-a-toe, Mee-au-mese and
Sash-au-quash, chiefs and head men of the Pottowatomie nation. Before
the next term of court could be held the tribe had been removed west of
the Mississippi, whither went the two defendants. When needed for trial
they were sought by Sheriff George E. Walker, who alone journeyed into
the Indian country. He gathered together the several chiefs, according
to custom, who decided the two must return, which they did, with no
effort or inclination to escape. This conduct, together with the lavish
use of paint, rendered recognition almost impossible by the Hall girls,
who were the chief witnesses for the State, and procured their acquittal
by the jury.[136]