The Black Hawk War Including a Review of Black Hawk's Life
was again reprimanded and ignobly compelled to wear for two days the
wooden sword. This he did “for the boys” with grim humor. As the men
sobered up and gradually straggled into camp that night, they
realized what their disgraceful behavior had brought to their
captain. Remorse, or some equally powerful agency, made Captain
Lincoln’s company a model one from that hour.
To claim that sports were not a feature of camp life and that
Captain Lincoln did not participate in them, were ridiculous.
Nine-tenths of that army were Kentuckians or Tennesseeans, every man
of which loved a horse. There were close upon two thousand horses in
camp; some better, some worse, and when off duty no time was allowed
to lapse without a horse race, a foot race or a wrestling match.
Into those contests Captain Lincoln did not obtrude himself, but he
was always counted on as “being ready” and on the spot. His men knew
his prowess and were proud of it, as was Offutt when he got the
Captain into the Armstrong affair. They were alert to advertise that
prowess at all times and willing to stake their last earthly
possession on his success. Such is human nature to-day. The best
foot runner, quoit pitcher, boxer or wrestler in a body of men has
followers constantly boasting the prowess of their favorite and
getting him into business, and many times into troubles. So Captain
Lincoln, to oblige his men, and likely his own inclination, took on
wrestling matches and vanquished his antagonists one after another
to the end of his service as a soldier.
The story of the match with Thompson, the wrestler, is no doubt
true, though difficult to locate. Some authorities have asserted
that Thompson came from Union County,[289] but as Union County
supplied but one company, that of Captain B.B. Craig, in which no
person named Thompson can be found, the Union County portion of it
must be eliminated. This is unfortunate when attempting to locate
the situs. Had Thompson been from Union County his company never
could have met either of the three companies with which Lincoln was
connected, because it did not reach the main army until Lincoln had
been discharged and was on his way home.
The story contains, with all its variations, the reference to his
position as captain, and no loss of prestige with his men; therefore
the event must have occurred at Beardstown, Rushville, Yellow Banks,
Dixon’s Ferry, Ottawa or some one of the camps along that route, and
prior to May 27th, the date of his muster out. At any rate the story
is as follows:
Thompson, a man of burly form, champion of his section, was tendered
to Captain Lincoln for a match in a way that to decline it would
have disgraced his men and his friends. Captain Lincoln was not
given to separating himself from a responsibility at any time, and
without formality accepted the challenge. Up to that date there had
been no pay-day and it is safe to assume that the entire company
could not inventory five dollars in money; but the men had knives,
souvenirs, watches and knickknacks, the last one of which was staked
on the issue of the match. The combatants grappled and it soon
became evident that Thompson was qualified to bear championship
laurels. The tussle was long and uncertain and keyed all the men up
to a high tension, as each contestant was being cheered to a
victory; but Thompson, after a hard battle, secured the first fall.
Lincoln could recognize a worthy antagonist and before taking on the
second bout said to his friends: “This is the most powerful man I
ever had hold of. He will throw me and you will lose your all unless
I act on the defensive.” Accordingly, when the men came together
again, Captain Lincoln played for a “crotch holt,” which Thompson
was able to avoid. Then, as the struggle progressed, the trick of
“sliding away,” was tried. In this Captain Lincoln was more
successful, for in the scramble for advantage both men went to the
ground in a heap, which, according to the ethics of frontier
wrestling, is denominated a “dog fall,” hence a draw. Armstrong
claimed a victory, at which a storm of protest went up from Captain
Lincoln’s backers, and a free fight was imminent. Believing that
trouble was imminent, Captain Lincoln came forward, and in a voice
which compelled attention, exclaimed, “Boys, the man actually threw
me once fair, broadly so, and the second time, this very fall, he
threw me fairly, though not apparently so,”[290] and that settled
the question for all time, though “dog fall” was frequently repeated
during the remainder of the campaign by the Captain’s partisans.
That defeat and the acknowledgment of it in no sense diminished the
influence or standing of Captain Lincoln with his men or those who
were beginning to know and like him.
In later years men took advantage of his prominence to claim many
untrue familiarities in the Black Hawk war. For instance: William L.
Wilson, who was a private in Capt. M.G. Wilson’s company, wrote,
under date of February 3d, 1882: “I have during that time had much
fun with the afterwards President of the United States, Abraham
Lincoln. I remember one time of wrestling with him, two best in
three, and ditched him. He was not satisfied and tried it in a foot
race, for a five-dollar bill. I won the money and ’tis spent long
ago. And many more reminiscences could I give, but I am of the
Quaker persuasion and not much given to writing.” There are some
other qualities belonging to the Quaker persuasion which might have
been regarded with advantage in the manufacture of that story.
A story for which there is no warrant of authority, except constant
repetition, is the one of the drinking contest. At first the scene
was located at Beardstown, but afterward Colonel Strode, having
heard it, appropriated the glory of the contest to himself, at least
one-half of it, and located the same at Dixon’s Ferry. The question
of strength having arisen, Captain Lincoln was quoted as being the
strongest man in the army. Strode challenged the statement by
offering to bet that he and nobody else could raise a barrel of
whisky and drink from its bunghole. The partisans of Captain Lincoln
accepted the challenge, produced the whisky and their favorite, and
Colonel Strode made his boast good by raising the barrel and taking
his drink from the bunghole. The feat seemed impossible, but having
been witnessed by a reputable crowd of men, could not be gainsaid.
Captain Lincoln is said to have then stepped forward, and with much
greater ease swung the barrel to his lips and taken his drink,
thereby besting Strode in his boast.
An addition was made to the story in later years by having Strode
exclaim, “Well, I thought you said you never drank any whisky,
Captain Lincoln!”
“I don’t drink whisky, Colonel Strode,” replied Captain Lincoln, and
forthwith he spat the whisky upon the ground.
At the mouth of the Rock River the company was sworn into the United
States service by Gen. Henry Atkinson. It is but recently that the
author has been able to determine that much disputed point, and it
must be admitted that the discovery was made with pain. From the
days of his earliest boyhood, he had believed that Jefferson Davis
was the mustering officer and that there the two men who later
became so conspicuous, yet divergent, in the eyes of the world, met
for the first time, the one asking the other if he would support the
constitution of the United States and fight for the flag.
For generations that tradition has obtained. It has been repeated by
the highest authorities, even by President Lincoln himself, if we
may believe Ben. Perley Poore and others who have claimed the
distinction of hearing him so state. The point was generally fixed
at Dixon’s Ferry, the birthplace of the author, and for that reason,
steeped with the tradition from his earliest boyhood, it must be
admitted that the discovery of the truth was made with profound
grief. There can be no mistake about the truthfulness of that
discovery. Major Nathaniel Buckmaster was second in command of the
army. He was a careful and conscientious officer. He wrote the fact
in a letter to his wife on the following day, and that letter is
herewith reproduced as evidence. It may be said that General
Atkinson might have sworn in the general officers, while a minor
officer like Lieutenant Davis might have administered the oath to
the captains and men, but it is not conceivable why more than one
officer should be employed for so small a body of men, and it cannot
be imagined why the captains would be separated from the few
officers of the general staff. In fact, if General Atkinson were to
have made a specialty of or distinction, it seems fair to presume
that he would have included the captains with the officers sworn in.
On the 9th General Atkinson issued orders to the troops to march on
the morning of the 10th, which they did, reaching the Prophet’s town
in the afternoon, where camp was established for the night.
The following day, instead of remaining at that point, Reynolds
pushed up the river twelve miles and again camped.
On the morning of the 12th the baggage was abandoned and a forced
march made to Dixon’s Ferry. There Captain Lincoln remained the
12th, 13th and 14th, at which last-named date Stillman was defeated
and his men returned to Dixon’s pell-mell during all hours of the
night.
On the 15th he went up the river, reaching the battlefield just
before dark. After the burial of the dead he camped and next day
returned to Dixon’s, where he remained until the 19th, when he
pushed up the river in pursuit of the Indians. Twelve miles out he
camped until the 20th, when he again marched to Stillman’s
battlefield, at which point Captain Goodan was placed under arrest
for some breach of duty, demonstrating that Captain Lincoln was not
the only officer of that rank to suffer punishment.
On the 21st the army moved over to a point on Rock River, where it
camped until the 22d, moving then over to the Kishwaukee and up the
same about ten miles from its mouth, where camp was established and
the army rested until the following morning.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the 23d the army moved about twelve miles in a southeasterly
direction to the Pottawatomie village on Sycamore Creek, at which
point, after a consultation with all the captains, it was decided to
march to the mouth of Fox River and there discharge the volunteers.
At the village were found the scalps of Stillman’s men and evidences
of Indians, but no sentiment could move the men to continue the
pursuit of them. Some few articles of Indian property were found at
the village, all of which were confiscated by the men. Much
confusion has in the past been caused by the terms Kishwaukee and
Sycamore Creek, when no such name as the latter can now be found on
the maps, but an explanation can be found in the fact that in those
days many called the stream by both names, interchangeably, while
others especially called the south branch of the Kishwaukee River by
the name of Sycamore Creek. Afterward the latter branch continued by
the name Sycamore Creek until settlements increased, when finally,
to avoid confusion, the present name of Kishwaukee River was given
to both branches. Sycamore Creek meant then the south branch of the
Kishwaukee.
On the morning of the 24th the march was resumed, the army camping
near the “Paw Paw village,” which was also robbed by the men. On the
25th Fox River was reached, most of the day being spent there in
searching men for articles of plunder taken from the two Indian