History of Bureau County, Illinois, Part 7

Author: Bradsby, Henry C., [from old catalog] ed
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Chicago, World publishing company
Number of Pages: 776

USA > Illinois > Bureau County > History of Bureau County, Illinois > Part 7

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

April 16, 1832, Gov. Reynolds called for 1,000 Illinois volunteers, and they were to meet in Beardstown, on the 24th of that month. So threatening were the movements of the Indians, that Maj. Stillman with 200 men was ordered to guard the frontier near the Mississippi, and Maj. Bailey the settle- ments along the Illinois River. Pursuant to the Governor's call, 1,800 men assembled at

Beardstown, and were organized into a brigade of four regiments and an "odd" and a "spy" battalion. An election for field officers on the 28th was held. Col. John Thomas to command the First, Jacob Fry, the Second. Col. Abram B. De Witt, the Third, and Col. Samuel M. Thompson, the Fourth. Capt. Abraham Lincoln's company was in the Fourth Regiment. Gov. Reynolds placed Gen. Whiteside in command, and accompa- nied the expedition.

April 29 the army started from Beards- town and proceeded to Oquawka, and here they received a boat-load of supplies from Gen. Atkinson, who was at Fort Armstrong; then to the mouth of Rock River, where they were received into the United States service by Gen. Atkinson; from this point the Com- manding General with 400 troops proceeded up Rock River, while the volunteers under Gen. Whiteside marched through the swamps in the vicinity of the stream. They arrived at Dixon on the 10th of May, where they found Majs. Stillman and Bailey with their forces, where they had been some time guarding the frontier. A scouting party of five men was sent out to confer with the chiefs of the Pottawattomies, and who getting lost, returned after three days. They reported having fallen in with some of Black Hawk's men, and that his army was encamped on Old Man's Creek, twelve miles above Dixon. Stillman and Bailey besought the Governor for permission to take their forces and reconnoiter the enemy's position, which was granted. On the 14th of May they started with 275 men, and soon reached Old Man's Creek, pursning their course up that stream about fifteen miles and camped for the night. Three Indians, bearing white flags came into camp, and were taken in custo- dy ; these were soon followed by five more who came near the camp, it was judged, for the

HISTORY OF BUREAU COUNTY.

purpose of inviting an attack. In this they succeeded, as a party of Stillman's men started in pursuit; soon three-fourths of the command were joined in the irregular scram- ble and chase across the prairie, overtaking and killing two Indians, and pursuing the others to the edge of the timber. Here Black Hawk, with about forty of his men, arose from their ambush naked and yelling like devils. charged the assailants, who were a mere scattered mob by this time, and who at once turned in a more eager retreat than had been their mad pursuit; flee- ing in terror before the infuriated savages. Stillman and his officers had ordered and entreated the men not to go in this foolish chase, but they rushed heedlessly and reck- lessly on, and as foolishly fled upon the first flush of danger, only increasing their own danger and confusion. Maj. Stillman, Gov. Zadock Casey and other officers tried in vain to prevent the panic and inglorious flight. Maj. Perkins and Capt. Adams with about fifteen men made a brave stand, and checked the savages and saved a general slaughter. The brave Adams lost his life in this heroic stand, his body being found the next day near the bodies of two dead Indians who had fallen by his hand before he was overpowered and slain. As a result of this shameful conduct of the soldiers, eleven whites were killed and seven Indians bit the dust before the fifteen gallant defenders of the panic-stricken army or rabble. Had half the wild mob kept their heads and joined them the enemy would not only have been defeated but probably captured. They fled back to their camp and there told the remain- der of the army such horrid stories of Black Hawk and his solid legions, that these broke camp and joined the stampede, the larger por. tion going to Dixon, but many were so scat- tered and had become so wild with fright

that they continued to flee south, and for weeks lone stragglers arrived at Peoria and at other points sonth as far as Beardstown and Springfield. The valor of these men was not at fault as was afterward tested. They were merely raw recruits who had not learned that in battle the safest place is in prompt obedience to their officer, and facing the enemy, regardless of the odds in the enemy's favor.

This battle-field has gone into history as Stillman's Run. His defeat spread conster- nation over the State. Gen. Scott with 1,000 troops was at once sent out to the seat of war. Gov. Reynolds called for new levies, the call being dated June 3d, and appointing them to meet at Beardstown and Hennepin, June 10.

The men in the service asked to be dis- charged, but in the great emergency they heeded the appeal of the Governor and agreed to remain twelve or fifteen days longer.

When the news of Stillman's defeat had reached the army at Dixon, a Council of War was called, and the whole army marched to the battle-field. The dead were recovered, in most instances frightfully mutilated. and were buried.

Black Hawk retreated into Wisconsin, and on the 6th of June made an attack on Ap- ple River Fort, near the present town of Elizabeth, twelve miles from Galena. Three messengers on their way from Dixon to Ga- lena were fired upon within half a mile of the fort, but they escaped. The inhabitants had fled to the forts. Twenty-five armed men were in the fort, and they made a de- termined resistance and drove off the sav- ages.

The savages having attacked and killed two men about five miles from Galena, Gen. Dodge, of Wisconsin, followed them, and

HISTORY OF BUREAU COUNTY.

overtaking them at Pecatonica, killed the entire number with the loss of three men.

The new levies assembled at Beardstown and Hennepin, and the two forces were soon ordered to Fort Wilbourne, a small fortifica- tion on the south bank of the Illinois River, about a mile above Peru, which had been erected by Lieut. Wilbourne for the protec- tion of the stores entrusted to his care by Col. March.

Several thousand volunteers had assembled, at first a promiscuous multitude. The Gov- ernor appealed to the old forces who had been discharged, and among others who re-enlisted was Abraham Lincoln, who had been a Cap- tain in Col. Thompson's regiment, and now entered Capt. Isle's Company as a private. On the 16th day of June the brigades were organized, Gen. Posey commanding the First, Melton K. Alexander, the Second, and James D. Henry, Third; Gen. Atkinson in general command. Four additional battalions were organized for special purposes, commanded severally by Bogart, Bailey, Buckmaster and Dement.

The brigades were composed of three regi- ments each. The Governor ordered a chain of forts to be erected from the Mississippi to Chicago.

· On the 17th Col. Dement was ordered to report to Col. Zachary Taylor at Dixon, the main army soon to follow. On his arri- val at Dixon, he was ordered to take his position at Kellogg's Grove. After the first night there a detachment was sent to examine a reported fresh Indian trail. They started at daylight, and within 300 yards of the Fort discovered several Indian spies, and despite the cries and commands of Col. De- ment and Lieut .- Gov. Casey, these raw soldiers gave chase and recklessly followed them into Black Hawk's ambush of 300 naked, howling savages, whose sudden ap-

pearance and fierce onslaught started a pell- mell stampede of the whites for the fort.

In the confused retreat which followed, five whites who were without horses were killed, and the others reached the fort only in time to close the gates upon the enemy, who attacked the inmates furiously, the fight lasting several hours, and they only retired when they had to leave nine of their braves dead on the field. No one in the fort was killed; but several were wounded, Col. De- ment having three shots through his clothing. At 8 o'clock next morning messengers were sent fifty miles to Gen. Posey for assistance, and toward sundown they appeared at the rescue. Gen. Posey started in pursuit of the enemy the next day. The enemy had used his usual tactics of scattering his retreating forces, and discovering this the pursuit was abandoned. The army marched up Rock River, expecting to find the enemy near its source. On the 21st of July the enemy was overtaken on the bluffs of the Wisconsin and a decisive battle was fought, lasting till the sun went down, and driving and scattering the savages, killing 168 that were found on the field, and twenty-five were found on the trail the next day, dead. Gen. Henry lost only one killed and seven wounded. Gens. Henry and Atkinson's forces, 1,200 in all, met them at the Blue Mounds.

On the 25th the whole army started in pur- suit of Black Hawk, whose trail could be easily followed by the abandoned articles and dead bodies, that told plainly the story of the deplorable condition of his army. The fugitives were fleeing the State, and had reached the Mississippi River, and were mak- ing hasty preparations to cross, when they were overtaken and the final and decisive bat- tle of Bad Axe was fought on the 2d day of August. It was a merciless slaughter, in which warriors, women and children were

HISTORY OF BUREAU COUNTY.

slain. Seventeen Americans were killed and over 150 Indians. Black Hawk had escaped up the river. He was pursued by a band of Winnebagoes. They were gone twenty days and returned with Black Hawk.

Such was the bloody and sad scene that closed the last great attempt at regular war upon the whites by the combined forces of the red men. Black Hawk was the true suc- cessor of Pontiac and Tecumseh. He wore their fallen mantles well and worthily, but able as he was, after his daring efforts to make a stand against the oncoming invaders of his happy hunting grounds in northern Illinois, the best effort he could make was a feeble one compared to those of his prede- cessors, and indicated the decay of his peo- ple-swiftly dying of the contact of the white man and civilization. Since the Black Hawk war we have had nothing more terrible than local forages, and the occasional scalping of an isolated settler or traveler, or horse-steal- ing expeditions, in which murder was only an incident. The Indian has gone. Here we have nothing left of him but a memory. In the struggle for existence he has paid the great penalty of ignorance and slowly but surely passed away from the earth. In the long and unknown ages he was here he did nothing-accomplished nothing-and this would have doubtless continued had he been left unmolested by the white man millions of years, save only what he had always been doing -- breeding wretchedness and the vilest ignorance and savagery. He loved his wild freedom-he would not have our civilization. Ever ready to sing his death song and die, he would not be enslaved. Liberty or death was all he knew, and he stared fate in the face with a stoicism truly sublime. His ex- istence here is but a memory, much like the

shadowy and unsubstantial legends of his own tribes. In the long centuries of his pos- session of the greatest and richest portion of the world, he did nothing, was nothing; and saving the corrupted Indian names given to certain places, there is nothing to prevent all memories of him from passing into annihila- tion and oblivion with his own valueless per- son and life. He lived only to hunt and fight-"born in the wild wood, rocked on the wave," he despised the refinements, the enervating pleasures, the trammels of civili- zation. The captured warrior and the de- coyed dupe of the cunning merchantmen, he was stupefied with whisky and sold into slavery, yet this failed as completely to make an humble slave of him always as would an effort to make cringing menials of the eagles of the crags. In this respect his nature was the opposite of the negro; and no white race has excelled, if any has ever equaled him, in his determination to be ab- solutely free-to be his own liberator and defy all the powers that might assail him here. This heroic trait saved his exit from the world from the reproach of contempt.

The treatment of the Indians, from the time of the first coming of the whites on the Atlantic shores to the present time, has been often wrong and sometimes criminal; just and sensible but rarely. Their fate was voiced well when Pontiac said, " White man, I stand in thy path." It was barbarous ignorance standing in the way of intelligence and indus- try; one or the other must perish. The sur- vival of the fittest lays its inexorable hand here, as everywhere, cold and passionless and omnipotent, and the weaker take their places in the ranks of the innumerable multitudes and pass away from the face of the earth.

VI.

The spot of oldest and greatest historical

HISTORY OF BUREAU COUNTY.

interest in Illinois is Starved Rock, on the south bank of the Illinois River, seven miles below Ottawa. The beetling-rock cliffs rise from the waters one hundred and thirty-six feet. Three sides rise thus perpendicularly like a giant watch-tower piercing the clouds. The fourth side recedes gradually inward from the river, in one place very steep, and this rapid descent can be mounted only by narrow steps, and along deep crevices in the rocks that bear no signs of vegetation save sparsely scattered stunted cedars and mountain ivy. The walls are of gray sand-stone. The gen- eral shape of this impregnable, eternal castle is circular, and from any point of view the effect is most inspiring and majestic. In many places are overhanging crags and deep crevices where once the wild beast fixed his lair, or the deadly reptiles retreated for safety. A part of the summit is smooth sand stone, and the whole contains nearly an acre in area.

From the midst of the flowing waters rises this wonderful rock pyramid, looking far up and down the river and away over the wind- ing belts of timber and the grand sweep of rich meadow lands-the eternal, silent sentinel- and in the aeons of its watches the coming and going of nations, dynasties, races and generations of men are but as the snow flake on the river, "a moment white then gone forever." It is now a noted resort for excur- sion and pic-nic parties, fascinating the vis- itor with its romantic scenery, and enchant- ing all with the wide-spread panoramic views from its summit. Of itself it will always possess a deep interest to all beholders, and it is but natural it should arrest the interest and attention of the adventurous white men who discovered what is now the State of Illi- nois. Two hundred and eleven years ago- 1673-Joliet and Marquette, in their voyage of discovery for the great river (Mississippi), which was supposed to run to the Pacific

Ocean, after finding the river and passing down it far enough to learn that the river emptied into the Southern Ocean, were return- ing to the St. Lawrence to report their great success, when they discovered the Illinois River and passed up it on their way to Lake Michigan. When they reached Starved Rock the party of nine persons landed their canoes and ascended to the top of the tower and erected a cross and in the name of the king and the church took possession of the country. Salutes were fired in honor of the king and prayers and invocations addressed to the Virgin.

In 1682 La Salle, the earliest follower of Joliet, founded a colony here, under a charter from the court of France, built a rude fort on the summit of the rock, called it Fort St. Louis, and named the country New France. This was the first white settlement made in the West. Near the base of Starved Rock are found the works of the Mound Build- ers, the flint instruments, the mounds, the pathways worn and cut in the rocks in going and returning from the top of this natural fort, plainly telling that every different race of men that ever occupied this country had found here the same land mark and refuge that attracted Joliet and La Salle and brought the first set- tlement in the Mississippi Valley.

The two hundredth anniversary of the dis- covery of Starved Rock by Joliet and Mar- quette was celebrated in 1873. The meeting was held on top of the rock, and a large crowd was present and many speeches were made. A high pole was erected on the high- est point and the stars and stripes floated out on the breeze where two hundred years ago the tri-colors of France had waved as em- blems of French authority and power. These revelers looked out over the same winding river which in the distant curves of

HISTORY OF BUREAU COUNTY.

the stream became mere silver threads in the forest fringe; the same flower-bedecked prai- ries, the same sweeping modulations of hill and valley; but once they were covered with great herds of buffalo, deer and elk, and the red man, with his many villages and wigwams, especially in the view westward into this county-all indicating that here were gath- ered in countless numbers-like a great trysting place-the wild beasts and the wild men. Now the same enchanting view is over civilized life, equally numerous, and instead of the silent solitude of the waste places, all is vocal with the glad song of civilization and the joys and blessings of a rich, active and prosperous people.

Bureau County in the Black Hawk .- At the time of this war the county was all Put- nam, and it is only by selecting out of the lists furnished by Putnam County, we are enabled to give the names of nearly all who went from what was afterward Bureau County. Captain George B. Willis, of Hennepin, raised a company for the Fourth Brigade, Fortieth Regiment, commanded by Col. John Strawn. This was mustered out of service at Henne- pin, June 18, -1832, George B. Willis, Cap- tain; Timothy Perkins, First Lieutenant; Samuel D. Laughlin, Second Lieutenant. Among the privates who were afterward eiti- zens of this county were John Cole, William- son Durley, Joel Doolittle, James G. Foristal, Aaron Gunn (now living in La Salle); John Hall, William Hoskins, Michael Kitterman; Robert A. Leeper, Charles Leeper, these were brothers of H. B. Leeper, now residing in Princeton; Roland B. Moseley, John Moore; Elijah Phillips, who was killed by the Indi- ans, June 18; Daniel Prunk, whose son is now living in Tiskilwa; Joseph W. Rexford; Solomon and Leonard Roth, brothers, one of whom is still living; Nelson Shepherd, still living; George P. Wilmouth, John Williams, Curtis Williams and Hoskin K. Zenor.

Capt. William M. Stewart also had a com. pany from Putnam County, in the same brigade and regiment of Willis' company. We note in this company Private Madison Studyvin.

Another company in the same command was Capt. William Haws' company. Capt. Haws died only a few months ago, aged eighty-four years, at his home near Magnolia; he dropped dead on retiring from the dinner table. Although very old, his sudden and most unexpected death was a great shock to his wide circle of friends and acquaintances, among whom he had lived a long and useful life.

Capt. Haws' First Lieutenant was James Garvin, now living near Princeton (died a few days after this was written). Among the privates in this regiment we note Elias Isaac as a Bureau County man. His son, William L. Isaac, is now one of the influen- tial citizens of the county, and a Supervisor.

The Indians commenced their forays and massacres of the scattered settlements in Illinois as early as 1810. That is, they then began to sow the seeds of bloody war against the Americans or English, as much of their previous intercourse had been with the French in this part of the West. The first massacre of note was on Cache River, not far above Cairo, where they murdered two families. Seven persons-three women and two children-were of the victims. Then a murderous foray was made by them on Wood River, now in Madison County, and soon the burning cabins and the fleeing fugitives from all the outlying settlements told the story of the progress of the awful visitation through- out southern Illinois. Those who escaped fled to the forts, and for four years the peo- ple thus existed, suffered, were massacred, and many good people were driven penniless from the county. The war of 1812-15 was | finally brought to a close, and treaties of

HISTORY OF BUREAU COUNTY.

peace were made, and people again resumed the work of building homes and laying the foundations for the great State of Illinois. The Indians of southern Illinois had been driven mostly away, or they were pretty thoroughly subjugated. But in northern Illinois it was different. The white man was only at Fort Dearborn, and in 1827 he was in the northwest corner of the State in the hunt for fortunes in the lead mines, and his presence here was regarded with an evil eye by the Indian. His jealous nature and his treacherous disposition were soon aroused, and he wanted to fill himself with patriotic whisky and commence his congenial work of massacring the weak and defenseless, espe- cially the women and children, or where a hundred of them could find an unarmed white man to torture and kill. This con- tinued until it culminated in the battle of Bad Axe in 1832, and the overthrow of Black Hawk and his co-conspirators.

Nicholas Smith, only surviving son of " Dad Joe " Smith, informs us that his fath- er's family was, in 1829, on a claim where Rock Island now is, and that near them was an Indian encampment, and, especially when they could get whisky, they were often very threatening and annoying. One day his father had gone to Galena after some of their remaining goods, and he, only eight- een years old, was mowing about a mile from home, when his younger brother came as fast as he could with word that the Indians were about to murder the family. He dropped his scythe and hurried to the house and found two bucks trying to kill a man, a neighbor who happened to be there, and his mother with the two little girls had taken refuge in the weeds near the house. He relieved his neighbor and then rushed into the house and got his gun. An Indian followed him and struck at him with his tomahawk, and

when he got his gun the Indian ran. He heard an outcry from his mother and looking saw an Indian holding her by the hair and trying to tomahawk her. His little brother had fortunately arrived on the horse and see- ing the Indian trying to kill his mother, had spurred the horse upon him, and the boy and mother were in the life struggle when he started to their rescue with his gun, which unfortunately was not loaded, and the Indian fled. He had inflicted an ugly wound in his mother's face. On another occasion he was hewing logs for their future house, and sev- eral Indians came up and were loafing around. He was working away and pay- ing no attention to them, when one of them slipped up and told him an Indian was following Smith's little sister, and was go- ing to kill her. He dropped his ax and saw the savage following the child with his butcher-knife concealed by his side in his hand. He fled when Smith noticed and started toward him. We only give these as evidences of the disposition of the savages when they had whisky, and as historical facts in the inception of those Indian depredations that finally led to the Black Hawk war.

Another incident related to us by Mr. Smith was connected with the outbreak of 1832. It is not only of interest as one of the first scenes in the actual war, but it is strongly illustrative of some of the incidents of frontier life. He had gone to Ottawa to mill. The trip was a very serious and tire. some one, as he had to hire a skiff and ferry his grain over the river, and then go to the mill and borrow a wagon to haul it from the skiff to the mill-about two miles. He was gone nearly a week and got home, and the first thing he noticed was his father walking up and down the road, gun in hand, and greatly excited. He soon learned the whole country was threatened with an Indian out-

HISTORY OF BUREAU COUNTY.

break; people were fleeing for their lives. The Smiths locked up their smoke-house and loaded a team and started for Galena, and here they stayed for several months. The Galena stage was stopped, and every house on the way to Galena was deserted, and they were about the last family that passed along the road.

CHAPTER IV.

THE GENEALOGY OF THE COUNTY-NEW FRANCE-CANADA, LOUISI- ANA - NORTHWESTERN TERRITORY - INDIANA -ILLINOIS-ST. CLAIR COUNTY-MADISON, CLARK, BOND, CRAWFORD, PIKE, FULTON, PEORIA, PUTNAM, AND FINALLY, BUREAU-THE SEV- ERAL AND FINAL TREATIES THAT PASSED-TITLE TO THE LAND -ETC., ETC.

" Moss-bank and rock, brown trunk and ancient tree,

Woodbirds and wild flowers are thy company." -JOHN H. BRYANT.

THE genealogy of the county, that is, the civil divisions, changes and transfers of allegiance from one government to another, and then to the United States, and from one State to another, and finally a chain of title from county to county, ending in the present civil community of Bureau, is a material part of the county's history; and yet, how many are there who can tell its chronological story ? In even a Teachers' Institute, com- posed of the educators of the county, and where the subject of history is often treated at great length, could any of them, after much reflection and reading on the subject, tell anything about it? Nearly all know that Bureau County was carved out of the terri- tory of Putnam County, and there, as a rule, their information stops.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Bureau County, Illinois, Part 7

Author: Bradsby, Henry C., [from old catalog] ed Publication date: 1885 Publisher: Chicago, World publishing company Number of Pages: 776

Author: Bradsby, Henry C., [from old catalog] ed
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Chicago, World publishing company
Number of Pages: 776