Black Hawk War

The Black Hawk War, named for the leader of a band of Sauk and Fox Indians, was the result of government cession of lands in Illinois.

On July 10, 1830, Sauk Chief Keokuk sold 26,500,000 acres of Sauk land east of the Mississippi to the United States government for three cents an acre. The land included a village at the junction of the Mississippi and Rock Rivers, which had been home to Black Hawk and his band of Sauk and Fox Indians for more than 150 years. In the Fall of 1830, when Black Hawk and his followers returned from their hunt, they found white settlers occupying their village. Black Hawk did not sanction the sale of this land and was determined to regain the village. Fearful settlers appealed to Governor John Reynolds, who issued a proclamation calling out a mounted volunteer militia force to repel Black Hawk and his band. With the arrival of the militia, Black Hawk retreated west across the Mississippi.

On April 6, 1832, Black Hawk and his band of 1,000 returned to Illinois in an attempt to reclaim their homeland. The Governor, considering this an invasion, mobilized the militia of 1,600 men and called for additional support from U.S. troops. Federal authorities, along with Sauk and Fox tribal councils, ordered Black Hawk and his band west of the Mississippi, but they refused to leave.

The governor issued a proclamation on April 16, mustering five brigades of volunteers to form at Beardstown and to head north to force Black Hawk out of Illinois. On May 9, the militia began an aggressive pursuit, finally coming into contact with Black Hawk and his warriors on the Rock River near Dixon. When the militia fired upon them, the warriors returned fire and killed eleven militiamen. Although the militia numbered 300, they fled after the initial volley and returned home with news that 2,000 "bloodthirsty warriors were sweeping all Northern Illinois with the bosom of destruction." After this initial skirmish, Black Hawk sent the women and children of his band to the Michigan Territory and then descended into Northern Illinois.

On May 19^th, the militia traveled up the Rock River in search of Black Hawk. Several small skirmishes ensued when they encountered the Indians raiding the Illinois settlements of Ottawa and Galena. Following these skirmishes, the governor recruited additional militia forces, raising the number to 4,000. With the one-month enlistment for militia already expired, the Governor mustered them out of service on May 27 and 28. The Federal Government then ordered General Winfield Scott with 1,000 regulars and 300 mounted volunteers to resume the chase.

From the end of June to the beginning of August, the Federal troops pursued Black Hawk and his band throughout Northern Illinois. They remained hot on his trail, but always seemed to remain 2 to 3 days behind. On August 1, with his band depleted and hungry, Black Hawk surrendered on the Mississippi River near the mouth of the Bad Axe River.

Black Hawk was ordered to board a U.S. ship positioned on the river, but many of his band had already crossed the river. When the ship’s crew fired upon the Indians on the shore, a battle ensued. 850 of Black Hawk's band and 17 soldiers were killed. Black Hawk escaped with ten warriors and 35 women and children to Wisconsin, but on August 27 they were captured and delivered to Prairie du Chien. On September 21, a peace treaty was signed with the Sauk and Fox Tribes and Black Hawk was placed in the custody of Sauk Chief Keokuk, the same man who betrayed him by selling his land two years earlier. Black Hawk never again attempted to regain his homeland.

The Black Hawk War of 1832 resulted in the deaths of seventy settlers and soldiers, and hundreds of Black Hawk’s band. The War not only affected the lives of the Indians, settlers, and militiamen involved, but also the settlement of Illinois and Wisconsin. The War was responsible for the end of conflict between whites and Indians in both states.

The Black Hawk War

By the spring of 1782, independence from Britain was won in Illinois country and the duties of the Illinois militia turned toward protection of settlements from Indian attacks. Illinois became part of the Northwest Territory in 1787 and in 1809, Illinois Territory was formed, with two counties: Saint Clair and Randolph. A military department was established under the acting governor, Nathaniel Pope, and militia regiments and companies were organized throughout the territory. Four Illinois Militia regiments were organized prior to the War of 1812. The First and Third Regiments were formed in Randolph County. These regiments included two battalions of militia troops. The Second Regiment consisted of three battalions, organized in Saint Clair County. The Fourth Regiment was formed by militiamen along the Wabash River and maintained two battalions. Illinois Territory became the 21st state to join the Union on December 3, 1818, authorized by President James Monroe, and the Illinois Militia was organized to correspond to the new state boundaries.

Though Illinois had come a long way from its early days under French rule, there was still mounting concern over conflict between whites and Indians. After 1783,

…pressures from land companies and prominent speculators, as well as the Indian-hating sentiments along the frontiers, fueled the government’s drive to secure Indian acceptance of the American land demands.

Between 1784 and 1789, government negotiation coerced Indian leaders in the East and in the Northwest Territory into signing a number of cession treaties, reducing the Indians’ land base and resources.

…[T]hese treaties were usually negotiated by the government, the insufficient authority or misrepresentation of many of the Indian individuals who signed the treaties, and the enormous loss of lands and resources resulting from the cessions caused the majority of Indian people to denounce the agreements.

The Black Hawk War, named for the leader of a band of Sauk and Fox Indians, was the result of government cession of lands in Illinois. Black Hawk was born in 1761 on the banks of the Rock River to the Sauk Indian tribe. As a young man, Black Hawk fought under Tecumseh in the War of 1812, and had formed an early dislike of United States policy regarding Indians. His feelings intensified when, on July 10, 1830, Sauk Chief Keokuk sold 26,500,000 acres of Sauk land east of the Mississippi to the United States government for three cents an acre. Part of the agreement included the selling of the village at the junction of the Rock River and the Mississippi River, a village that had been the home of Black Hawk’s band of Sauk and Fox Indians for over 150 years. Black Hawk and his followers did not sanction the sale of their lands, and when Black Hawk’s band returned from their hunt in the fall of 1830 to find whites occupying their village, they were determined to regain their homes. Fearful whites called upon Governor John Reynolds, who issued a proclamation calling out a mounted volunteer militia force to repel Black Hawk and his band. Illinois settlers volunteered to undertake this task, which ended in Black Hawk’s retreat across the river.

On April 6, 1832 Black Hawk, along with 1000 men, women and children, came back across the Mississippi into Illinois. The band proceeded up the Rock River in an attempt to reclaim their homeland, causing many settlers to flee. The governor of Illinois deemed this movement an invasion, mobilizing a militia of 1600 men and calling for support from U.S. troops. Federal authorities, along with Sauk and Fox tribal councils had ordered Black Hawk and his band west of the Mississippi, but Black Hawk would not give in. The governor issued a proclamation on April 16 that the militias assemble at Beardstown on the 22^nd, and volunteers organized into four regiments under Colonel John Thomas, Jacob Fry, Abraham DeWitt and Samuel M. Thompson. A spy battalion under Major James D. Henry was formed, along with two "odd battalions" under Major Thomas James and Major Thomas Long. From Beardstown, 1600 men proceeded to Fort Armstrong and arrived there on May 7. On May 9, the militia began to pursue Black Hawk’s band. Black Hawk, knowing of Major Stillman’s encampment three miles down the Rock River near Dixon, sent men bearing white flags, but Stillman’s troops fired on them and forty of Black Hawk’s warriors retaliated, killing eleven soldiers. The militia numbered 300, but fled after the first volley from Black Hawk’s warriors. The militia returned home with news that 2000 "bloodthirsty warriors were sweeping all Northern Illinois with the bosom of destruction." After this initial skirmish, Black Hawk removed the women and children of his band to Lake Koshkonong in Michigan Territory then descended into Northern Illinois.

On the 19^th, General Atkinson and the entire militia moved up the Rock River, leaving Stillman’s Corps at Dixon to care for the wounded and guard supplies, but they fled and went home. Atkinson returned to Dixon and General Whiteside followed Black Hawk’s trail up the Kishwaukee River, but many of the militia men did not want to leave Illinois territory. Having been enlisted for one month, the militia was mustered out of service by the Governor on May 27 and 28. The Federal Government ordered 1000 regulars to the seat of war from the seaboard, under General Winfield Scott to resume the chase, and three hundred volunteer mounted rangers from Illinois agreed to remain in the field under Colonel Henry Frye and Lt. Colonel James D. Henry.

On May 22 Sauks and allied Potawotomis began raiding settlements in Illinois near Ottawa and Galena, Illinois, and LaFayette County, Virginia. The militia caught up with the raiding Indians and several small skirmishes ensued near Kellogg’s Grove, Plum River Fort, Burr Oak Grove, Sinsiniwa Mound, and Blue Mounds. Three weeks after Stillman’s defeat, the governor recruited additional militia forces, raising the number to 4000 troops including mounted militia, spy battalions, rangers, regular infantry, and 75 Potawatomis.

From the end of June to the beginning of August, the militia chased Black Hawk and his band from the Illinois-Wisconsin border to the mouth of the Kishwaukee River, to Lake Koshkonong, and to Rock River, trailing behind them and missing them by two to three days at each location. On August 1 Black Hawk reached the Mississippi, at an eastern tributary, near the mouth of the Bad Axe River. His band was depleted and hungry and Black Hawk, defeated, appeared with a white flag to surrender to the Warrior, a supply transport steamer from Prairie du Chien, Captained by John Throckmorton. Black Hawk was ordered to board by his own canoe, but women and children of his band had already begun crossing the river with the band’s canoes. Throckmorton fired the cannon of the Warrior upon them at the shore, and both sides exchanged musket fire. Of the 1000 Indians who followed Black Hawk, only 150 survived the three-hour battle, and 17 white soldiers were killed. Three hundred of Black Hawk’s band managed to cross the river unscathed, but they where killed by Sioux warriors hired by General Atkinson. Black Hawk escaped with ten warriors and 35 women and children to the Dalles of Wisconsin but on August 27 they were delivered to Prairie du Chien. On September 21 a peace treaty was signed and on August 1, Black Hawk was placed under the guardianship of Keokuk. He never again attempted to regain his homeland. Black Hawk died in October 1838 at the age of 71, on a reservation on the Des Moines River in Davis County, Iowa.

The Black Hawk War of 1832 lasted fifteen weeks and resulted in the deaths of seventy settlers and soldiers and hundreds of Black Hawk’s band. The Black Hawk War affected not only the lives of the Indians, settlers, and militiamen involved, but also the settlement of Illinois and Wisconsin.

The consequence of that inglorious skirmish was a campaign which ended in the almost complete annihilation of Black Hawk’s band, the demoralization of the Sauk and Fox nation, and untold hardship and inconvenience to thousands of white persons - to say nothing of the impetus camp life gave to the spread of the cholera epidemic.

The movement of soldiers throughout the state alone caused the deaths of two hundred and fifty soldiers and settlers due to disease. The war was also responsible for the end of conflict between whites and Indians in Illinois or Wisconsin. All remaining Indian land was purchased from tribes, opening the settlement of Northern Illinois and the southern portion of Wisconsin. It called attention to the

…attractions and resources of an important section of the Northwest. The troops acted as explorers of a large tract concerning which nothing hitherto definitely been known among white men… From the press were issued books and pamphlets by the score, giving sketches of the war and accounts of the newly discovered paradise…they advertised the country as set flowing thither a tide of immigration.