USA > Illinois > Morgan County > History of Morgan county, Illinois : its past and present, containing a history of the county; its cities, towns, etc.; a biographical directory of its volunteers in the late rebellion; portraits of its early settlers and prominent men [etc., etc.] > Part 29
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In the latter part of November, 1830, snow commenced falling and continued to fall at intervals until January, 1831. As one snow fell upon another, the wind at times blowing very hard, there soon accu- mulated a depth in places from seven to twelve feet, covering fences and small buildings entirely, and causing great distress to the inhabitants, as well as to stock and wild game. In the heavy timber, where the wind could not get the power to drift, the snow was said to be three feet on a. level. The sun shining occasionally melted the surface, and the cold nights would freeze it hard enough to bear a man or beast. The roads often ran over stake-and-ridered fences, and although good for persons of leisure, if there had been any for sleigh riding, was very inconvenient for farmers who had not gathered their corn, and had to go into their fields and reach under the snow for the ears of corn, and carry them home in a. bag or basket to feed their hungry horses, cows, and pigs, and even to get. their bread. As they could not go to mill, their corn was put in wooden mortars and pounded until broken so that they could cook it by boiling or baking. Many suffered severely, both for food and warmth, not having . made any preparation for such a change in the weather. For years before the weather had been very mild until after Christmas, sometimes continuing so all winter, so warm and open that cattle could browse and feed with but little care from man. Many instances of individual suffer- ing might be given in these pages, but as so many of them have been reported in neighborhood circles, and others published in newspapers and books, it would seem like needless repetition to insert them here. The winter of the "deep snow" is referred to by all the early settlers, forming a data to refer to, as any incident happening so long a time before or after it.
The old settlers of Morgan, Cass, and Scott Counties, in the organi- zation of their society, fixed that as the period of membership, and for a few years none were admitted to become members of the society unless they could date their residence liere previous to the " deep snow." Since then the time has been extended to 1840.
The inhabitants of Morgan and surrounding counties caught a great deal of game while the snow was on the ground, as the deer in running over the snow would sometimes, in consequence of their sharp hoofs, break through the crust, and be unable to extricate themselves. Men could walk or run over the surface and capture them, or if men were not around the wolves would make short work of them. Prairie chickens, rabbits, and all other game were easily captured. Until February, 1831, when the snow went off with a great freshet, the ground was not seen.
Shortly after the events just narrated, troubles with the Indians in the north part of the State began again. That part of Illinois lying between the Rock and Mississippi Rivers was an inviting place of settle- ment for the whites. It possesses unusual natural scenery, is well watered,
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and is very fertile. The Indians then occupying it refused to vacate it for the white people who desired to settle there, and the result was
THE BLACK HAWK WAR.
· In the history of the Northwest, printed elsewhere in this volume, a condensed account of this war is given. It, however, relates to the war in general, not specifying any section of country, or giving the experiences of any volunteer from any county in Illinois. Morgan County furnished a number of men in this conflict, and their reminiscences are worthy of record, and merit a place in the county's history. Judge Wm. Thomas was one of the volunteers, and with his accustomed faithfulness preserves an account of his and his comrades' campaign. We give it as he narrates it, in a letter to the Jacksonville Journal, under date of Dec. 3, 1871. He says :
" In 1827, under the administration of Governor Edwards, we had what was called the ' Winnebago War.' A regiment of mounted volun- teers from the Counties of Sangamon and Morgan, under command of Colonel Thomas M. Neale, marched to the neighborhood of Galena, for the defense and protection of the settlers and miners in that region, against a supposed threatened invasion of the Winnebago Indians.
" In 1829-30, a number of families settled on Rock River, a few miles below Rock Island, in the absence of the Indians, who had pre- viously occupied that land, between Rock River and the Mississippi. In the Spring of 1831 the Indians returned, and claimed their former posses- sions, which our settlers, having made arrangements for raising a crop, were reluctantly compelled to surrender. Black Hawk and his followers claimed that this neck of land still belonged to the Indians; that the treaty by which it had been ceded had never been assented to by the legal owners. Out of this claim of Black Hawk grew the first of the Black Hawk war-having no connection with the Winnebago war. Gov- ernor Reynolds ordered out a brigade of mounted volunteers, to proceed to the disputed territory and repel the Indians. Governor Duncan, being then a major-general of militia, took the command of the brigade, by order of the governor. The brigade was hastily organized, and in quick time was on the scene of proposed action. The Indians, however, being aware of the approach of the army, abandoned their wigwams and pos- sessions, and crossed the river into Iowa. Whilst this brigade was marching across the country, General Gaines was moving up the Missis- sippi on a steamboat with some companies of the regular army. The general, intending to avoid any personal conflict with the Indians, or the shedding of blood, anchored his boat a short distance below the mouth of Rock River, and sent a messenger across the country to meet General Duncan, with orders to join him on the Mississippi, a movement which would give the Indians notice of the approach of the militia, and time to escape, of which they readily availed themselves by retiring to what they esteemed a place of safety. General Duncan reached General Gaines in the afternoon, encamped, and remained until next morning, when both companies started up the river-General Gaines on the boat, and General Duncan at the head of his brigade-intending to meet and co-operate together at the Indian village. It commenced raining early that morning, and continued until the afternoon. Before General Dun-
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can reached the place of crossing the Rock River, General Gaines had ascended the river as high up as the stage of the water would permit, and signalled General Duncan by the firing of cannons, as had been pre- viously agreed on.
" Being quartermaster of the brigade, and having been informed of the intended movement, and also of General Gaines' expectations that the Indians would escape, I was not surprised at hearing the cannon ; but the rank and file of the militia thought the firing was the beginning of a fight, and a book might be written representing the speeches and describ- ing the actions of these uninitiated militia, as they passed up the river to the place of crossing. We first crossed a wide, shallow slough, on to an island thickly set with undergrowth of saplings and bushes. We then reached the main river at a place supposed to be fordable : our advanced guard following a pilot reputed to be well acquainted with the road, crossed the river, but it was deep, and the bottom covered with large rock, or boulders, as they were called. In crossing, some of the horses striking these boulders, fell, and threw their riders into the river, to make their way across as best they could ; other horses had occasionally to swim. With the loss of a few guns and the ducking of a few riders, the guard reached the bank-no one drowned or badly hurt. . The main army went a short distance below, opposite the Indian village, where some craft were found on which the men could cross, and the horses were made to swim. Whilst crossing the river, the rain fell in torrents. I found a log-cabin on the bank, into which, with my horse, I took shelter until most of the army had crossed, and the storm abated.
" The army encamped that night in the Indian village, using all the wigwams that could be made available, and using the bark which had been detached from the wigwams to sleep on. The rain, which had ceased a few hours before night, long enough for the making of fires, cooking and eating supper, commenced again during the night, and con- tinued to pour in torrents until after day. My mess had a good tent, under which we slept ; but to keep as dry as possible, I procured a wide piece of bark, curved at the sides like a trough with a round bottom, to sleep on. It was warm weather, and the rain was warm ; when I awoke in the morning, I found my bark filled with water one or more inches deep, and to that depth the water was under me, so that, but for having a change of clothes kept in a dry place, I should have been compelled to go on duty with nearly half my clothing as wet as water could make then1. The next day we marched to Rock Island, and encamped on the east bank of the slough, opposite the fort, where we remained until mus- tered out of service and discharged. Whilst encamped on the river, and before it was known what the Indians might be willing to do upon the question of remaining out of the State and keeping the peace, our horses, 1,500 or 1,800, grazing below the encampment, were frightened by the approach of a steamboat, and forthwith stampeded, making a noise almost equal to distant, heavy thunder. The army was called to arms, and formed in line in quick time, no one knowing but that the Indians were upon us. The first direction of the horses was toward the encampment, but the sentinels were able to turn them toward the bluff on the east, and they were soon out of hearing, when the near approach of the boat told the story of the alarm. Most of the horses were found the next
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day, but many of them continued the chase, and were found days after- ward, several miles up Rock River ; others were not found.
" Returning home, my mess encamped one night on a branch of Crooked Creek, near the residence of a Mr. Pennington, where we found the encampment of parts of several companies building fires and prepar- ing supper. Here I was informed that a volunteer from Sangamon County, called by the name of General Jackson, had in his possession four Indian ponies, brought from the vicinity of Rock Island. I sent for him to ascertain how he came by the ponies, fearing that they had been stolen. To my inquiries, he said that he had purchased them from a stranger below Rock Island. I proposed that he should surrender them to me to be kept until the question of ownership could be investigated (expressing a fear that the stranger had stolen them), to which he readily assented. I placed the ponies in charge of Mr. Pennington, and upon reaching home wrote to the Indian agent at Rock Island, request- ing him to send for them, and return them to the Indians. The agent complied with my request, and upon restoring them, required the Indians to restore any of our horses that they might have found after the stam- pede. The result was that eighteen horses belonging to volunteers were returned to the agent, and all of them, I believe, were restored to the owners. I saw the General Jackson afterward, and learned that he had paid nothing for the ponies, and that he had never since seen or heard of the man of whom he had purchased them."
Black Hawk failed to keep the' terms of the treaty, and as soon as the military retired he returned to the Illinois side of the river. A large force was at once raised and marched against him. Morgan County furnished her full quota of men the second time. Many of the same officers and men enumerated in the article of Judge Thomas, returned to the conflict. This time severe fighting followed, resulting in the total defeat of Black Hawk and his followers. His capture by the troops, his confinement as a prisoner of war, his release, and the closing days of his life, are all narrated in this volume, and to it the reader is referred.
This war practically closed the Indian troubles in Illinois. The return of the militia to their homes, was followed by years of prosperity and peace. The county had become thickly settled for that day,'in some parts, and its county seat was earning a name, as a place of learning and influence.
The earliest days of a country, the pioneer customs and habits, the privations endured, the successes achieved, form interesting chapters of history, and deserve a place in its annals. The early settlers were a brave and hardy people, the brightest side of their life shown out at all times, and though their labors were severe, their love of sport was just as strong, and indulged in whenever occasion presented.
The daily life of the pioneer was one of simplicity and frugality. His wants were few, easily supplied, and of a simple nature. Our narra- tive would be incomplete, did we not give in detail, something of this pioneer life, as seen by many yet living, and as days which to them will always be pleasantly recollected. We will narrate the scenes of these days, as they have been told us, and as we have gathered them from others who have placed them on record. The festal days of the pioneers were, when a cabin was to be raised; when a shooting match occurred ;
1
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when a "husking bee" was held ; a wedding took place ; a general mus- ter day came ; or any similar day of rest and recreation would occur. As they were held in Morgan County, the same as in other parts of the State, one .description will apply to all portions of the great West. Those were the " good old days " and though we of to-day, honor these memories, we believe our days are as good as any, and that we in our old age, will look back to them with memories as tender and as cher- ished as these in the decline of life delight to remember theirs.
We have noted the raising of the cabin as one of the days of enjoy- ment, among the early settlers. The usual way of erecting these primitive habitations, was in the following manner: On an appointed day the pioneers gathered about a spot selected for the erection of the cabin home. A party of choppers was toled off, whose business it was to fell the trees, and cut them into proper lengths; a man with a team next hauled or dragged the logs to the place, and arranged them, properly assorted, at the ends and sides of the proposed building. Some one was selected to search the woods for a suitable tree, from which to make the clapboards for the roof. The tree for this purpose must be straight grained, and from three to four feet in diameter. The boards were split four feet long, with a large frow, and as wide as the timber would allow. They were used without planing or shaving. Another party of men was employed in getting puncheons for the floor of the cabin ; this was done by splitting trees, about eighteen inches in diameter, and hewing the faces of them with a broadax. They were half the length of the floor they were intended to make. The materials for the cabin were mostly prepared on the first day, and sometimes the foundation laid in the evening. The second day was allotted for the raising. On the morn- ing of that day, the neighbors collected for the raising. The first thing to be done was the election of the four corner men, whose business it was to notch and place the logs, which were furnished them by the rest of the workmen. In the meantime the boards and puncheons were col- lected for the floor and roof, so that by the time the cabin was a few logs high, the sleepers and floor began to be laid. The door was made by sawing or cutting out the logs in one side of the cabin, so as to make an opening about three feet wide. The logs on each side of this opening, were kept in place by upright pieces of timber, about three inches thick, through which holes were bored, for the purpose of driving through them wooden pins, into the ends of the logs. A similar opening, but wider, was made at the end, for the chimney. This was built of logs, and made large to admit of a back and jambs of stone. At each corner of the building the two end logs projected a foot or two beyond the wall, to receive the bunting poles, as they were called, against which the ends of the first rows of clapboards were supported. The roof was formed by making the end logs shorter until a single log formed the comb of the roof ; on these logs the clapboards were placed, the ranges of them lay- ing some distance over those next below them, and kept in their places by logs placed at proper distances upon them.
The roof, and sometimes the floor, were finished on the same day of the raising. A third day was commonly spent by a few carpenters in level- ing off the floor, making a clapboard door, and a table. This last was made of a split slab, and supported by four round sticks, set in auger-
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holes. A few three-legged stools were made in the same manner. Pins stuck in the logs, at the back of the house, served to support clapboard shelves, on which the table-furniture was kept, when not in use. The bedstead was made by fastening a forked post in the floor, and in the ceiling. A pole was placed in the fork of the post, from there it projected through the wall of the cabin. This front pole was crossed by a shorter one within the fork, with its outer end through another crack. From the front pole, through a crack between the logs, of the end of the house, the boards were put on which formed the bottom of the bed. A few pegs around the walls, for the display of the dresses of the women, and hunt- ing-shirts of the men, and two small forks, or buck's horns, to a joist for the rifle and shot-pouch, completed the carpenter work.
In the meantime masons were at work. With the heart pieces of the timber of which the clapboards were made, they made billets for chink- ing up the cracks between the logs of the cabin and chimney-a large bed of mud mortar was made for daubing up those cracks ; a few stones formed the back and sides of the chimney.
The house being finished, the ceremony of house-warming took place, which usually consisted of a dance, lasting all night. At house- raisings, log-rollings, and harvest-parties, every one was expected to do his duty faithfully. A person who did not perform his share of labor, on these occasions, was designated by the epithet of "Laurence," or some title still more opprobrious ; and when it came to his turn to re- quire the like aid from his neighbors, the idler soon felt his punishment, in their refusal to attend to his calls.
" The marriage ceremony, in those days, was a very unceremonious affair," says John McConnell, whose excellent description in his " West- ern Sketches " we quote in full. " The parents never made a 'parade' about any thing-marriage, least of all. They usually gave the bride- not the ' blushing ' bride-a bed, a lean horse, and some good advice ; and, having thus discharged their duty in the premises, returned to their , work, and the business was done. The parade and drill which now at- tend it, would have been as ridiculous as a Chinese dance; and the finery and ornament, at present understood to be indispensable on such occasions, then bore no sway in fashion. Bridal wreaths and dresses were not known, and white kid gloves and satin slippers never heard of. Orange blossoms-natural and artificial-were as pretty then as now ; but the people were more occupied with substance than with emblem.
" The ancients decked their victims for the sacrifice with gaudy colors, flags, and streamers ; the moderns do the same, and the offerings are sometimes made to quite as barbarous deities. But the bride of the pioneer was clothed in linsey-wolsey, with hose of woolen yarn; and moccasins of deer-skin-or, as an extra piece of finery, high-quartered shoes of calf-skin-preceded satin slippers. The bridegroom came in copperas-colored jeans-domestic manufacture-as a holiday suit ; or, perhaps, a hunting-shirt of buck-skin, all fringed around the skirt and cape, and a 'coon-skin' cap, with moccasins. Instead of a dainty walking-stick, with an opera-dancer's leg, in ivory, for a head, he always brought his rifle, with a solid maple stock ; and often, during the whole ceremony, he did not divest himself of powder-horn and bullet-pouch.
" Ministers of the gospel were few in those days, and the words
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of form were usually spoken by a missionary. Or, if the pioneer had objections to Catholicism - as many had - his place was supplied by some justice of the peace, of doubtful powers and mythical ap- pointment. If neither of these could be procured, the father of the bride, himself, sometimes assumed the functions, pro hâc vice, or pro tem- pore, of minister or justice. It was always understood, however, that such left-handed marriages were to be confirmed by the first minister who wandered to the frontier; and, even when the opportunity did not offer for many months, no scandal ever arose-the marriage vow was never broken. The pioneers were simple people; the refinements of high cultivation had not yet penetrated the forests or crossed the prairies, and good faith and virtue were as common as courage and sagacity.
" When the brief, but all-sufficient ceremony was over, the bride- groom resumed his rifle, helped the bride into the saddle-or, more fre- quently, to the pillion behind him-and they calmly rode away together.
" On some pleasant spot-surrounded by a shady grove, or point of timber-a new log cabin has been built; its rough logs notched across each other at the corners, a roof of oaken clapboards, held firmly down by long poles along each course, its floor of heavy 'puncheons,' its broad, cheerful fireplace, large as a modern bed-room-all are in the highest style of frontier architecture. Within-excepting some anomalies, such as putting the skillet and teakettle in the little cupboard, along with the blue-edged plates and yellow-figured tea-cups-for the whole has been arranged by the hands of the bridegroom himself-every thing is neatly and properly disposed. The oaken bedstead, with low, square posts, stands in one corner, and the bed is covered by a pure white counterpane, with fringe-an heir-loom in the family of the bride. At the foot of this is seen a large, heavy chest-like a camp-chest-to serve for bureau, safe, and dressing-case.
"In the middle of the floor-directly above the trap-door which leads to a 'potato-hole' beneath-stands a ponderous walnut table, and on it sits a nest of wooden trays ; while, flanking these, on one side, is a nicely- folded tablecloth, and, on the other, a wooden-handled butcher-knife and a well worn Bible. Around the room are ranged a few ' split-bottomed' chairs, exclusively for use, not ornament. In the chimney-corners, or under the table, are several three-legged stools, made for the children, who-as the bridegroom laughingly insinuates, while he points to the un- couth specimens of his handiwork-' will be coming in due time.' The wife laughs in her turn-replies 'no doubt'-and, taking one of the graceful tripods in her hand, carries it forth to sit upon while she milks the cow-for she understands what she is expected to do, and does it without delay. In one corner, near the fireplace, the aforesaid cupboard is erected-being a few oaken shelves neatly pinned to the logs with hickory forks-and in this are arranged the plates and cups ; not as the honest pride of the housewife would arrange them, to display them to the best advantage, but piled away one within another, without reference to show. As yet there is no sign of female taste or presence.
" But now the house receives its mistress. The ' happy couple ' ride up to the low rail fence in front, the bride springs off without assistance, affectation, or delay. The husband leads away the horse, or horses, and the wife enters the dominion where, thenceforward, she is queen. There
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is no coyness, no blushing, no pretence of fright or nervousness-if you will, no romance-for which the husband has reason to be thankful ! The wife knows what her duties are, and resolutely goes about performing them. She never dreamed, nor twaddled about ' love in a cottage,' or ' the sweet communion of congenial souls' (who never eat anything); and she is, therefore, not disappointed on discovering that life is actually a serious thing. She never whines about 'making her husband happy,' but sets firmly and sensibly about making him comfortable. She never complains of having too much work to do, she does not desert her home to make endless visits; she borrows no misfortunes, has no imaginary ailings. Milliners and mantua-makers she ignores, 'shopping' she never heard of, scandal she never invents or listens to. She never wishes for fine carriages, professes no inability to walk five hundred yards, and does not think it a 'vulgar accomplishment' to know how to make butter. She has no groundless anxieties, she is not nervous about her children taking cold ; a doctor is a visionary potentate to her-a drug shop is a depot of abominations. She never forgets whose wife she is, there is no ' sweet confidante ' without whom she 'can not live,' she never writes endless letters about nothing. She is in short, a faithful, honest wife ; and, in 'due time,' the husband must make more 'three-legged stools,' for the 'tow heads ' have now covered them all !
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