The Black Hawk War Including a Review of Black Hawk's Life
volunteer force nearly one-half,[206] and the departure of the other
brigades, under orders, left the regulars, about 400, alone.
As the movements thereafter of the regulars were few and simple, it
is considered best to briefly state them before continuing with
Henry, Alexander and Dodge and the more important features of the
campaign which followed.
On the 11th, while at the mouth of the Whitewater, Captain Harney
was dispatched up Rock River, in command of a small reconnoitering
party, to ascertain and examine the position of the enemy, Scouts
returning that evening brought information of the Indians’ further
retirement up Rock River.
On the 12th Harney’s party, which had ascended the river thirty
miles, returned, reporting the flight of Black Hawk into the
recesses of the swamps of Rock River, fifty or sixty miles above, if
not further. On the same day three soldiers and two Indians went
down to Lake Koshkonong in a canoe to explore. They found a small
Indian camp, which they robbed, but on returning were attacked by a
party of Indians, and in turn robbed of their spoils of war and also
their canoe.
On the 13th Capt. Samuel McRee, with a detachment of fifty men,
started in pursuit of the Indians, but returned late in the evening,
after a long march, reporting no discoveries.
During the day Colonel March arrived from the Blue Mounds, reporting
thirty-six wagons loaded with provisions on the way for this point.
During the 14th and 15th the camp was inactive and awaiting events.
On the 16th dispatches from General Scott, who had been sent to
supersede Atkinson,[207] were received, reporting the ravages in his
army from Asiastic cholera. The thirty-six wagons of provisions
arrived from Blue Mounds in the evening; also the pack horses sent
to Fort Winnebago for provisions. On the following morning Alexander
arrived with his men, thoroughly fatigued, many of them dismounted
through the loss of their horses.
On the 19th the regulars and Alexander’s Brigade marched up the
Whitewater, with the intention of reaching Black Hawk and ending,
by forced marches, the campaign, which General Jackson felt had
been already dragged out to twice its needed length. The troops
proceeded ten miles, when the most furious storm of that very
stormy season compelled them to halt and await its passing. It
raged all night long, with increasing fury, and not till morning
did it abate. Here the trembling lands were reached, making
further progress, as the Indian guides declared, impossible. It
was then discovered that the wrong side of the river was being
followed to ever reach Black Hawk, therefore it was resolved to
retrace their steps, cross the river below Lake Koshkonong and
ascend the west bank of Rock River. (Narrative Capt. Henry Smith,
10 Wis., 150, etc.) At this time (20th) an express from Henry and
Dodge arrived early, bringing information of the movements of the
Indians toward the Mississippi.[208] General Alexander at once
dispatched Major McHenry, with his spy battalion, to explore the
country between the forks of the Whitewater and Rock River and
ascertain if all the Indians had left the country or only Black
Hawk’s immediate band. He found the country explored by him to be
abandoned by them, and, with the other troops, fell back to Fort
Koshkonong, where Capt. Gideon Lowe, with thirty or forty men, had
been called from Fort Winnebago to do garrison duty.
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CHAPTER XXXI.
FORT WINNEBAGO REACHED–STAMPEDE–HENRY’S TREATMENT OF DISOBEDIENT
OFFICERS–BLACK HAWK’S TRAIL TO WESTWARD DISCOVERED–FORCED
MARCH–BATTLE OF THE WISCONSIN–AT BLUE MOUNDS.
When Henry, Dodge and Alexander left, on the 10th, for Fort
Winnebago, their horses were in none too good a condition for such a
march, but it was begun early and continued diligently through the
wilderness, until the fort was reached, at the end of the second
day, a distance of sixty or seventy miles.
The horses, several hundred in number, were turned out to graze on
the evening of the 12th,[209] and with no delay the men retired to
their tents, pitched about three feet apart, and were very soon
wrapped in sound slumber, during which occurred a calamity entailing
greater disaster and more suffering than the loss of a battle. In
the night (12th) it is supposed a party of thieving Indians, in
attempting a wholesale theft, so thoroughly frightened the animals
that a stampede followed. Running furiously in a northerly
direction, directly over the camp, men and munitions were crushed
under foot. A call to arms followed, but the loss of arms in the
darkness and confusion, the loss of bearings, and almost of reason,
prevented all possibility of order and concerted action. If it had
been an attack of the enemy, as was first conjectured, the bruised
and confused troops could easily have been annihilated.
The horses reached the Wisconsin River, where they were turned back
by it, and, with the fury of the hurricane, rushed back and over the
camp for the second time, bruising and crippling men and hopelessly
wrecking tents and guns. The men had not recovered their senses when
this second stampede drove them into the ground, and by the time the
furious beasts had passed, the poor soldiers were in the saddest
possible plight.
Two days were consumed in repairing the wreck, recovering the horses
and drawing the twelve days’ rations. The stampede at this crisis
was painfully unfortunate. For thirty miles the horses ran, over
ground almost impassable, which added to those already consumed in
reaching the fort, ruined many and crippled others to such an extent
that they soon gave out. The search for them added many miles of
weary travel, wearing those used in it, going and coming, until it
was considered doubtful if the men could get back to General
Atkinson.
At this place it was ascertained through the Winnebagoes that Black
Hawk occupied a strong position at the rapids on Rock River.[210]
Henry at once called a council of war, composed of every officer
from the rank of captain up, at which he disclosed his information
and proposed the question of disobeying Atkinson’s orders by
pursuing the enemy. Dodge had so exhausted his men and disabled his
horses in forcing a march to be in first at Fort Winnebago, that he
reported he could not muster a force worth taking along.[211]
Alexander reported the unwillingness of his men to disobey orders,
leaving Henry alone to make the pursuit, if it were to be made at
all. He quietly yet firmly resolved that it should be made.
Thereupon he reorganized his brigade by disencumbering his command
of the sick, injured and dismounted men, and appointed noon of the
15th for the hour to march. The disaffection of Alexander’s men had
a demoralizing influence on Fry’s Regiment, belonging to Henry’s
Brigade, which resulted in the signing of a remonstrance, headed by
Lieut-Col. Jeremiah Smith, and the presentation of the same to Henry
as that officer was ready to march. Fry did not sign this document
and had no sympathy with it. On the contrary, he was bitterly
opposed to such action. This action, emanating from so conspicuous a
person and officer as Smith, would, under usual conditions, have
frustrated Henry’s plans and demoralized his brigade, but he was the
man for an emergency, with the will to meet it and the physique to
enforce it against ordinary opposition. His genius rose to this
occasion and his action ended the Black Hawk war, as it would have
been ended long before could he have ordered the volunteer forces as
he desired.
Day after day, week after week, the army had dawdled away valuable
time in fruitless marches. Every command had been ignored or
ridiculed. Protests had been constantly made, and at every turn the
commanding influence of the militia and its votes had been consulted
and obeyed.
In camp and on the march they had constantly murmured, and in action
they had disobeyed and disgraced themselves and their state. Here
Henry was alone and supreme in command, unhampered by a superior. He
was a candidate for no office.
When this remonstrance was presented to him he quietly read it and
deliberated carefully for some minutes; then, without bluster or
useless fanfaronade, he ordered every man who had signed it under
arrest, with orders to Colonel Collins’ Regiment to escort them to
Atkinson for trial, at which, he had no doubt, they would be shot
for disobedience. No man knew Henry better than Lieutenant-Colonel
Smith, and no doubt remained in his mind of Henry’s determination to
enforce his order, thereupon he begged permission to retire to
consult his brother officers who had signed the paper, which he was
permitted to do. In less than ten minutes every one of them had
returned and begged Henry’s pardon, urging that they knew not the
full import of the document when attaching their signatures. In the
greatness of his heart that forgiveness was extended them and, with
no further allusion to the incident, it was from that moment
dropped. In justice to those officers, it must be said that Henry
had no more devoted followers in his ranks from that time.
Alexander now moved for Atkinson’s headquarters, and almost
simultaneously came Capt. James Craig of Dodge’s Battalion from
Galena, with fresh horses and men, bringing Dodge’s command up to
120 strong, when he pronounced himself ready for concerted action
with Henry, whose brigade had fallen from about 1,200 to 600 men,
but not more than 450 were then fit for service.
From Fort Winnebago Henry and Dodge took up their march, July 15th,
accompanied by Pierre Poquette as interpreter, and twelve
Winnebagoes,[212] including The White Pawnee, as guides. Heavy
underbrush and swamps continually hampered their march, while each
new morass cost them horses, but after three days of hard marching
the rapids (now Hustisford) were reached.[213] No Indians were
found. Henry thereupon ordered the little army to camp. Here three
Winnebagoes reported that Black Hawk had gone further up the river
to Cranberry Lake. Relying on this information, it was determined to
ascend the river by a forced march the following morning. In the
meantime Adjutants Dr. E.H. Merryman of Springfield and W.W.
Woodbridge of Dodge’s Battalion were dispatched, at 2 o’clock
P.M.,[214] to Atkinson’s camp, accompanied by Little Thunder as
guide, to post Atkinson as to its movements.
About dark they had proceeded about eight miles to the southwest,
when they suddenly came upon the broad fresh trail of the enemy in
his endeavor to escape to the Mississippi River. At the sight of
this trail Little Thunder manifested unusual and extreme symptoms,
and, without permission, hastened back to camp, where he informed
his two Winnebago friends of his discovery. Merryman and Woodbridge
hastily followed. On returning, these two Winnebagoes, after
communicating with their friends, attempted to escape, but in
passing Major Murray McConnel of the staff, who was reconnoitering,
they were arrested and returned to camp. Merryman and Woodbridge
followed soon after, and in crossing the picket lines Woodbridge was
fired at by a sentinel and barely escaped with his life.
Under an examination by Henry, the Winnebagoes confessed that they
had given false information in order to facilitate the escape of
Black Hawk.
Early the following morning (19th) the army was ready for a fresh
march along this trail. The same express was sent to Atkinson to
post him as to its movements, Little Thunder safely guiding it.[215]
Five baggage wagons were discarded[216] and most of the camp
equipage left in a pile in the wilderness. Even blankets and parts
of wardrobe were discarded to facilitate travel, so that positively