The Black Hawk War Including a Review of Black Hawk's Life
fire into the vanishing remnant, which killed many women and
children, to the sincere regret of all, but as many of the squaws
were dressed as men and mingled freely with them, it was a
misfortune none could have foreseen or avoided.
To put the finishing strokes to Black Hawk’s power, Dodge, Fry and
Ewing, with the regulars under Taylor, Bliss, Harney and Smith,
plunged breast deep into the water to the willow island, where most
of the remaining Indians had taken a last stand and where in the
face of a heavy fire the whites either killed, captured or drove
them into the river. It was there in that little side contest that
the greatest loss was supposed to have occurred to the whites, whose
casualties in the engagement were twenty-four killed and wounded,
while that of the enemy were upward of one hundred and fifty, forty
captured, mostly women and children, and about forty or fifty horses
taken. The loss to the regulars was five killed and four wounded; to
Dodge six wounded;[231] Posey one wounded; Alexander one
wounded;[232] and Henry seven killed and wounded.[233]
Black Hawk, with his sons and the Prophet, escaped to the Dalles of
the Wisconsin.
On the 3d one hundred and fifty men under Colonels Blackburn and
Archer crossed the river, searching the islands and bottoms for
fugitives, but found none. Their trail indicated that they had gone
along the Iowa River.
A party of Sioux called upon General Atkinson to receive permission
to follow the fugitives, which was given, and in that pursuit
Ne-a-pope was captured and many more Sacs perished.
At that battle again, contrary to plans, Henry won the deciding and
final fight of the war, but there he received from every officer of
the regular service a hearty congratulation,[234] and in his journal
no stronger praise could be accorded a brother than that given by
Albert Sidney Johnston.
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Covered with glory and the hearty good wishes of every officer and
man in the army, Henry returned home, only to be cut off in the
zenith of his career, as before stated.
At the close of the fight Atkinson, Dodge, Posey, R.B. Mason and
other officers and U.S. Infantry boarded the Warrior and dropped
down the river to Prairie du Chien, arriving in the evening of the
4th.
On August 17th the regular troops which left Jefferson Barracks in
April had returned to the same point.[235]
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Footnote 224:
Johnston’s Journal.
Footnote 225:
Wakefield, p. 72 and 75. Lt. Col. Sharp was left at Ft. Koshkonong
in charge of the men who had lost their horses.
Footnote 226:
Smith’s Wis., Vol. 3, p. 223.
Footnote 227:
Lt. Robert Anderson, X Wis. Hist. Colls., 170.
Footnote 228:
Col. W.B. Archer went to the battleground but found nothing new.
Wakefield, 76.
Footnote 229:
Johnston’s Journal.
Footnote 230:
Reynolds, “My Own Times,” 415.
Footnote 231:
Privates Smith, Hood and Lowry died of their wounds. Capt. Joseph
Dickson wounded. Sergeant George Willard and Private Skinner were
wounded.
Footnote 232:
The brother of Adam Payne.
Footnote 233:
Lt. Samuel Bowman, killed. 1st Sergt. Wm. C. Murphy, wounded.
Private Hutching, wounded and died the 3d. Privates John White,
Joseph L. Young, Andrew McCormick and Robert R. Smith, wounded.
Footnote 234:
Capt. Henry Smith’s narrative, X Wis. Hist. Colls., 165.
Footnote 235:
Capt. Henry Smith’s narrative.
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CHAPTER XXXIII.
THROCKMORTON’S NARRATIVE–ATKINSON’S REPORT–BLACK HAWK’S
FLIGHT–CAPTURE–DELIVERY TO GENERAL STREET–COUNCIL.
After darkness had finished the battle of the Wisconsin, many of the
fugitives, women, children and old men, were sent by Black Hawk down
the Wisconsin to escape, but on receipt of Dodge’s letter, Gov.
Joseph M. Street, agent of the Winnebagoes at Prairie du Chien, sent
Lieutenant Ritner with a small detachment of regulars up the river
to the ferry, later called Barrett’s, to intercept them, which he
did by firing into the party, killing fifteen men and capturing
thirty-two women and children and four men. Nearly as many more were
drowned, while the others who escaped to the woods, with few
exceptions, perished with hunger or were massacred by a party of
Menominees from Green Bay under Colonel Stambaugh.[236]
[237]In addition to this precautionary move, General Street, on July
25th, directed Mr. J.P. Burnett, sub Indian Agent for the
Winnebagoes, to ascend the Mississippi and order all the Winnebagoes
to descend with their canoes and other water craft to the Agency at
once, thus to prevent the Sacs from securing assistance in crossing
the Mississippi, and, in case any excuses were offered, to threaten
the objectors with non-payment of their annuities.
Mr. Burnett carried out his instructions faithfully on the following
day, but found Winneshiek and several other prominent Indians absent
hunting.
On the 27th supplemental instructions were sent to Mr. Burnett to
send for them, which was likewise done, and on the 28th all had
gathered at the Agency that General Street desired, making escape
across the Mississippi by Black Hawk practically impossible.
Among the numerous incidents related of the Battle of the Bad Axe is
one of Lieut. Robert Anderson, printed in the Galenian and copied
into Niles Register for November 3d, 1832, in Vol. 43, page 147.
“When our troops charged the enemy in their defiles near the bank
of the Mississippi, men, women and children were seen mixed
together in such a manner as to render it difficult to kill one
and save the other. A young squaw of about nineteen stood in the
grass at a short distance from our line, holding her little girl
in her arms, about four years old. While thus standing, apparently
unconcerned, a ball struck the right arm of the child above the
elbow and shattered the bone, passed into the breast of its young
mother, which instantly felled her to the ground. She fell upon
the child and confined it to the ground also. During the whole
battle this babe was heard to groan and call for relief, but none
had come to afford it. When, however, the Indians had retreated
from that spot and the battle had nearly subsided, Lieutenant
Anderson, of the United States Army, went to the spot and took
from under the dead mother her wounded daughter, and brought it to
the place we had selected for surgical aid. It was soon
ascertained that its arm must come off, and the operation was
performed without drawing a tear or a shriek. The child was eating
a piece of hard biscuit during the operation. It was brought to
Prairie du Chien, and we learn that it has nearly recovered. This
was among the many scenes calculated to draw forth a sympathetic
tear for human misery.”
As the Warrior played an important part in Black Hawk’s fall, it may
be well to copy the Captain’s letter:
Letter of Captain Throckmorton, 3d August, 1832 (Prairie du Chien).
“I arrived at this place on Monday last (July 30), and was
dispatched, with the Warrior alone, to Wa-pe-shaw’s village, one
hundred and twenty miles above, to inform them of the approach of
the Sacs, and in order to bring down all the friendly Indians to
this place. On our way down we met one of the Sioux band, who
informed us that the Indians, our enemies, were on Bad Axe River
to the number of four hundred. We stopped and cut some wood and
prepared for action. About four o’clock on Wednesday afternoon
(August 1st) we found the gentlemen where he stated he left them.
As we neared them, they raised a white flag and endeavored to
decoy us; but we were a little too old for them, for instead of
landing, we ordered them to send a boat on board, which they
declined. After about fifteen minutes’ delay, giving them time to
remove a few of their women and children, we let slip a
six-pounder loaded with canister, followed by a severe fire of
musketry; and if ever you saw straight blankets, you would have
seen them there. I fought them at anchor most of the time, and we
were all very much exposed. I have a ball which came in close by
where I was standing, and passed through the bulkhead of the
wheelroom. We fought them for about an hour or more, until our
wood began to fail, and night coming on, we left and went on to
the Prairie. This little fight cost them twenty-three killed and,
of course, a great many wounded. We never lost a man and had but
one man wounded (shot through the leg). The next morning, before
we could get back again, on account of a heavy fog, they had the
whole army upon them. We found them at it, walked in, and took a
hand ourselves. The first shot from the Warrior laid out three. I
can hardly tell you anything about it, for I am in great haste, as
I am now on my way to the field again. The army lost eight or nine
killed and seventeen wounded, whom we brought down. One died on
deck last night. We brought down thirty-six prisoners, women and
children. I tell you what, Sam, there is no fun in fighting
Indians, particularly at this season, when the grass is so very
bright. Every man, and even my cabin-boy, fought well. We had
sixteen regulars, five riflemen, and twenty of ourselves. Mr. How
of Platt, Mr. James G. Soulard and one of the Rolettes were with
us and fought well.
General Atkinson’s report of the battle is also given as follows:
“Headquarters, First Artillery Corps, Northwestern Army,
“Prairie du Chien, August 25, 1832.
“Sir:–I have the honor to report to you that I crossed the
Ouisconsin on the 27th and 28th ultimo, with a select body of
troops, consisting of the regulars under Col. Taylor, four hundred
in number, part of Henry’s, Posey’s and Alexander’s brigades,
amounting in all to 1,300 men, and immediately fell upon the trail
of the enemy and pursued it by a forced march, through a
mountainous and difficult country, till the morning of the 2d
inst., when we came up with his main body on the left bank of the
Mississippi, nearly opposite the mouth of the Ioway, which we
attacked, defeated and dispersed, with a loss on his part of about
a hundred and fifty men killed, thirty-nine women and children
taken prisoners–the precise number could not be ascertained, as
the greater portion was slain after being forced into the river.
Our loss in killed and wounded, which is stated below, is very
small in comparison with the enemy, which may be attributed to the
enemy’s being forced from his positions by a rapid charge at the
commencement, and throughout the engagement. The remnant of the
enemy, cut up and disheartened, crossed to the opposite side of
the river and has fled into the interior, with a view, it is
supposed, of joining Keokuk and Wapello’s bands of Sacs and Foxes.
“The horses of the volunteer troops being exhausted by long
marches, and the regular troops without shoes, it was not thought
advisable to continue the pursuit; indeed, a stop to the further
effusion of blood seemed to be called for, till it might be