USA > Illinois > Stephenson County > History of Stephenson County, Illinois : a record of its settlement, organization, and three-quarters of a century of progress > Part 6
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The great difficulty still was to keep open the line of communication between Dixon and Galena. Reports from the scouts showed that Black Hawk had moved his main army from the Rock River into Stephenson County, near Kellog's Grove. On June 23d, Major Dement's battalion was ordered by Colonel Zachary Taylor to march to Kellog's Grove. The battalion arrived that night and the following day hunted about the Grove. Colonel Dement and his men were ignorant of the fact that Black Hawk was near by, planning to capture the army supplies, which he knew were stored in the cabins.
Only great courage and a knowledge of Indian ways and wood craft, pre- vented a surprise and probable massacre of the party. While on a scouting trip, men from Captain Funk's fort had discovered a heavy trail leading from Apple River Fort in the direction of Kellog's Grove. Black Hawk had united his army and evidently intended to attack Kellog's Grove. But the uncertainty- just where the wily old leader would strike, was always one of the hazards of the war. Captain Funk was skilled in wood craft and Indian tactics. He readily inferred that Black Hawk intended to strike unexpectedly at Kellog's Grove, massacre the garrison and capture the stores his people so much needed.
Funk's Fort was a stockade built around a double log cabin, garrisoned by about twenty-five men. It was located over the line in Wisconsin on the trail from Kellog's Grove to Mineral Point. In the fort at this time was Mr. J. B. Timms, the present owner of Kellog's Grove. He was but a child, his father and mother having sought safety in the fort after the Indians became trouble- some on the Apple River. In resisting an attack on Funk's Fort, his father
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fought at the stockade, his mother moulded bullets and he rendered such service as a child could.
A frontiersman, Captain Funk instinctively determined that a warning must be rushed to Kellog's Grove. He called for volunteers for the perilous jour- ney, for Black Hawk's band covered the trail. The risk and the necessity were so great that Captain Funk announced that he intended to go himself and Jake DeVall, one of his trusted scouts, stepped to his side. The pioneers of the fort cheered the men whose courage was equal to their sense of duty.
Tomorrow would not do. No time was to be lost. All the interest in the fort centered in the preparation of the couriers for the dangerous journey. Mounted on the best horses and armed in the best fashion, the two heroes rode out at sunset to carry the message to Kellog's Grove. On they rode through the wilderness into the middle of the night. Sometimes slow, sometimes fast, over the ridges, down through the valley, across ravines, through the thickets and underbrush, they pushed steadily on, always aware of the danger of ambush by a lurking foe. Or surrounded maybe by the murderous red men, they would fire the flintlocks-then the hand to hand encounter, the tomahawk and the scalping knife. But though dangers multiplied as they advanced, they kept steadfastly towards the goal.
In telling of this ride with death, Captain Funk said: "The first signs we had of Indians while on this midnight ride was not until we approached the cabins at Kellog's Grove, while passing a thicket one mile to the west of the grove, at about one o'clock. Here the mare I rode threw up her head and sniffed the air. She became very much excited, snorting and becoming almost unmanageable. I said to DeVall, "There are Indians in that thicket. This mare will smell one half a mile away." We lost no time in reaching the top of the hill (where Black Hawk Monument now stands), overlooking the cabins a few rods below at the foot of the slope. I called in a loud voice but received no answer. I shouted louder, and this time received a response from within, which proved to be the voice of Major Dement. Making ourselves known, we thus made it safe to approach the cabins, which we lost no time in doing. We could not know how soon the crack of a rifle might ring out, or in what proximity the foe was hiding. Everything pointed towards haste and vigilance for those who had a regard for their scalps."
Captain Funk and DeVall were met at the door by Major Dement who was at once informed of his dangerous situation. The messengers were delighted to learn that, instead of fifteen men, the detachment consisted of over two hun- dred with officers in charge. Although one o'clock A. M., the cabins were soon astir with military activity. The men were in a high state of tension, anxious for a clash with Black Hawk's British band. Most of the troops were fresh recruits, mustered in only eight days before. Many were short term enlist- ments, out on a lark fighting "Injins." Except in the minds of a few old In- dian fighters, there was little seriousness in the camp of volunteers.
Black Hawk, the wily old strategist, had laid his plans to capture the entire party. He was in a surly mood because he had been repulsed the day before at Apple River Fort. His braves were stationed at every point of vantage over- looking the camp. Dement's men were surrounded by a determined foe, crouch-
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ing, ready for the surprise of an unexpected assault. As Black Hawk observed the movements of Dement's men, he did not fail to notice the weakness that lost many a battle to the volunteers, the lack of discipline, over-confidence and failure to estimate correctly the fighting qualities of the Indian. Many of those lads from the farms of central Illinois, thought that they had only to march out in line of battle to see the redskins take to their heels.
When Captain Funk told Major Dement that he was surrounded by Black Hawk and outnumbered two to one, Dement called a council of war and tlie entire command was carefully instructed in plans for defense. At daybreak, the Major sent out a scouting party of twenty-five men to verify Funk's report. In a short time, a messenger came in at full speed with the exciting news that several Indians were in sight. As the scout in a loud voice shouted, "Five Indians in sight," the whole camp was at once in commotion. About this time on the hill overlooking the camp, a group of Black Hawk's men appeared. Everywhere was pandemonium, the anxious, undisciplined volunteers saddling their horses in haste to be the first to get a shot at the Indians. As fast as they could mount, disobeying orders, they set off in twos and threes in a mad rush to get a chance at the red men before the battle was over.
It was said that Captain Funk at this point urged Dement to form his men in line of battle, as not five Indians but Black Hawk's main army was in the thicket below. A private, with rifle in hånd, overheard that remark and sneer- ingly said: "That scout thinks there is an Indian for every tree and stump in the grove." Captain Funk replied, "My good fellow, I am afraid you will think so too before night." The prophet was soon to be honored in his own country.
Kellog's Grove was a characteristic frontier battlefield. The ridge swerves to the south about two miles west of the cabins. At that point is a ravine run- ning to the southeast. Between the ridge and the ravine was a dense thicket, V shaped, the point to the west.
In this V shaped thicket, Black Hawk concealed the main body of his braves, hidden by the dense underbrush. The sixty-five year old Indian gave final directions to his aids, and riding here and there among his men, per- sonally directed the strategy by which he hoped to destroy Dement's troops. The Indian warriors, bedaubed with paint and smeared with grease, with feath- ers in their scalplocks, were stirred into a feverish valor, ready to spring upon the unsuspecting battalions. It was the same old plan, Stillman's defeat over again. The crafty old enemy of the Americans had set his trap-had then sen. out the five Indians on swift ponies, as a decoy to lure the troops of Major Dement into the skillfully planned ambuscade.
Captain Funk says, that after he had advised Major Dement, he went to the top of the hill where he could watch the progress of the battle. The Major soon found that he could not keep his forces in order. In a few moments, a large part of his men were strung out over the ridge, riding as swiftly as pos- sible in pursuit of the decoys and into the trap. The only rule of battle was that they who had the swiftest horses were in the lead, the others following in small groups. As soon as the first of Dement's men approached, the In- dian scouts had wheeled their ponies and riding like the wind trailed the in- experienced volunteers into the ambuscade. Dement's men had followed in close
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pursuit and when they were well within the enemy's lines, a heavy volley of shot blazed from the thickets, and from every side Indians sprang upon them with murderous yells. Two men were killed and almost in an instant Dement's horsemen wheeled about and began a fierce race for life. The foremost rider ran his horse through the ambuscade and back again with only a bullet through his thigh. The rout was complete, the fun of fighting "Injins" was over and the disorganized condition of the forces of Dement presented a sad spectacle. Along the ridge, some of Dement's men were riding swiftly to battle, not know- ing what had happened, while the first arrivals were riding desperately in the other direction, back to camp. The red warriors, flushed with victory, painted and stripped to the waist, whipped their ponies in swift pursuit. As the Indians rode over the dead and wounded, they stopped to scalp and mutilate the bodies of the victims.
Major Dement and Zadock Casey had tried in vain to caution the men and form them in military order. That they had failed, was no fault of theirs. Major Dement did the next best thing. A short distance to the west of the Kellog cabin, he succeeded in halting a part of his command and formed them in a line of battle across the ridge to await the attack he was sure would fol- low. Following the rout, the Indians- swept down on Dement flanking his position on both sides and pouring upon his men a gallinng fire from safe places behind trees and bushes. Dement fought bravely at the head of his men until he was outnumbered and almost surrounded. Seeing that he could not hold his position with disorganized troops, he slowly withdrew with the men who stood by him, covering the retreat of the panicstricken volunteers who had made the first attack. At this point, the Indians turned aside to attack three men who had gone out early in the morning in search of their horses that had wandered away. The three men were killed and scalped, but not until five red men bit the dust beside them.
This gave Dement time to form his men for another stand. But he could not hold his ground. When the yelling savages once more charged upon him, his men abandoned him and fled to the cabins. Dement saw the folly of at- tempting to stop the Indians in the open field and at the last moment escaped to the cabins to make a final stand. Governor Casey's horse had been shot and he narrowly escaped after furious fighting.
The followers of old Black Hawk now surrounded the cabins, confident of a complete victory. From behind trees, the red men fired upon the cabins and Dement's men returned the fire through the cracks of the log buildings. The best marksmen were detailed to pick off the Indians who dared to show themselves. Although the flintlocks were in bad order, Dement's men made the Indians respect their marksmanship. The Indians shot about two dozen horses that huddled in fright about the buildings.
The men were packed in Kellog's cabins in great confusion. It was a time that demanded fast thinking. Dement could keep the Indians back for a time, but unless General Posey at Dixon was notified and sent up reinforcements, the detachment would be massacred. Dement, who was the coolest man, in the lot, saw at once that despatches must be carried to Posey and he called for volunteers. It was almost a hopeless task. It was hardihood, to mount swift
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horses, to dash through the enemy's lines, to escape to the Yellow Creek Val- ley and to carry the message to Posey. But there is no limit to courage on the frontier. The higher the dangers and perils rose, the higher yet rose the valor of heroes. Never in American history when there has gone out the call for volunteers to risk their owns lives to save others, has that call failed to be promptly answered. It was answered by Nathan Hale in the Revolution; by Captain Hobson at Santiago; by Kirkpatrick at Apple River and by Funk and DeVall in carrying the warning to Dement. But no situation carried less chance of life and success than this. No sooner was Dement's call for volunteers past his lips, than Lieutenant Trammell Ewing limped to the front with his ban- daged leg and said, "Major, I'll go." As another stepped to his side, he asked, "What horses shall we take?" "Any ones you please," replied Dement, his voice filled with emotion as he observed the heroism of the men. Lieutenant Ewing had been the foremost rider in the morning's attack, and had ridden through the ambuscade and back again with a bullet in his thigh.
The two scouts were not strangers to a race with death on the frontier. Slipping quietly from the cabins, they rescued two of the best horses-animals known for their speed, one of them the little black mare belonging to Major Dement. They mounted quickly, and with bodies swung low over the horses' necks, they dashed down the slope, through the enemy's lines. With a roar of yells, the Indians turned to stop the scouts with flying tomahawks and a terrific fire from the rifles. But on they rode with charmed lives until they appeared into the valley below.
Black Hawk, the foxy old strategist, was rejoicing at the prospect of a com- plete victory with its harvest of stores and scalps, when the scouts made the dash towards Dixon. The old Indian shouted his orders in frantic despera- tion for if the men escaped, Posey's army would soon be upon him and that meant certain defeat. But he was too late. The swift surefooted horses of the scouts soon left the Indian ponies far behind. Two hundred lives rested on the success of that ride. Through the cracks of the cabin logs, the lookouts kept a close watch on a certain spot on the side of a distant hill across the valley. After minutes that seemed hours, they saw two horsemen ride into view. They turned and waved a signal of triumph to their besieged comrades. The look- out shouted that the riders were safe through Black Hawk's lines and the men huddled in the cabins gave hurrahs that rang defiantly against the yi-yi-yip- yah's of the redskins.
The tide of battle had turned in a few moments. The two scouts brought hope to Dement and despair to old Black Hawk. The stakes were high for the old Indian and he lost. This battle at Kellog's (Timms') Grove, in Stephen- son County, broke his power and ever afterward, instead of assuming the ag- gressive against the Americans, he bent all his energies to beat a safe retreat across the Mississippi into Iowa.
When Black Hawk faced Dement at Kellog's Grove, his four hundred braves and his women and children were without food. His braves fought without sup- per or breakfast, hoping to dine sumptuously on the stores in the cabins. His fierce onslaughts on the cabins had been repulsed and he knew that Posey would be upon him before he could reduce the garrison. Sullen and in despair,
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the old leader almost immediately ordered a retreat. Captain Funk said that within fifteen minutes there was not a sign of an Indian about the grove. Black Hawk's women and children were not far away and as he was com- pelled to take them with him, his movement was necessarily slow. He acted quickly and in a short time was displaying his troops on the plain below, which Captain Funk said was one of the prettiest sights he ever saw, the drill and maneuvering being perfect.
When the Indians had apparently abandoned the scene, Major Dement and another man ventured outside at the west end of the cabins. At the same time, two Indians appeared on the hill and both fired. The balls struck the logs immediately behind Dement and his companion. One of the balls pierced the Major's plug hat, cutting his commission which he had placed in his hat for safekeeping. For years, it was a great pleasure for Mr. J. B. Timms, the owner of the cabins, to point out these bullet marks to visitors at Kellog's Grove.'
When the roll was called at the cabins, it was found that Dement had five men killed and two wounded. Captain Funk says five were buried. Some writers say only four were killed. Four of the killed were William Allen, James Black, Abner Bradford and James P. Band. The last named was the man who had jested about Funk's alarm. He was cut off and killed near where Dement made his first stand. The wounded were Aaron Payne and Marcus Randolph. According to Funk and Mr. J. B. Timms, the messengers were Aaron Payne and Stephen R. Hicks. They also say that Payne is the man who was foremost in the morning's ride into the ambuscade. Stevens in his history of the Black Hawk War, substitutes the name of Lieutenant Tram- mell Ewing for that of Payne. Some writers say that five scouts were sent out, but Captain Funk insists that there were but two.
General Posey arrived just as the sun went down that day, June 25, 1832. The burden of the evidence indicates that Posey had already begun his march from Dixon and that the scouts met him at Buffalo Grove (Polo).
After breakfast on the 26th, the dead were buried with military honors. This sad duty performed, General Posey started out with part of his command on Black Hawk's trail. The Indians had crossed Yellow Creek at a ford on the farm owned by Ed Schienburg. After crossing the creek, the trail broke into dozens of directions, baffling pursuit. As his commissary wagons had not arrived, General Posey returned to Kellog's Grove. The next day his wagons arrived and he set out for Fort Hamilton on the Pecatonica River.
Black Hawk's band of soldiers, women and children were almost destitute. W. S. Harney, in an article in The Galenian, July 15, 1832, writes: "I followed Black Hawk and his band thirty miles, passing four encampments and found many signs of their want of provisions. I found where they had killed and butchered horses, dug for roots and scraped the trees for bark."
Black Hawk had been forced from the Rock River Valley by the approach- ing lines of Atkinson and Posey. He had taken refuge in Yellow Creek Val- ley and had hoped there to win a decisive victory. But he was outplayed and outnumbered and was forced to move into Wisconsin.
July 21, 1832, General James D. Henry, with his brigade of Illinois volun- teers, overtook Black Hawk's band on the Wisconsin River and defeated it with
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great loss to the Indians. The Indians had retreated so precipitately, that for several miles the trail was marked by camp. kettles and baggage cast aside. General Henry fought this battle without orders from General Atkinson, his superior, and the victory for the Illinois militia was resented by the regular army officers. The battle of July 21st proved that the volunteers, under a capable leader and under rigid discipline, are as efficient soldiers as ever went to battle.
After July 21 st, Black Hawk was not an aggressive fighter. His power was broken and his aim was to cross the Mississippi into Iowa. General Atkinson collected his forces and gave pursuit. He brought Black Hawk to his last stand on the banks of the Mississippi, just below the mouth of the Bad Axe River on August 2, 1832. General Atkinson prepared for battle and assigned General Henry and the Illinois volunteers to protect the baggage in the rear. It was not desired that the volunteers should win any more glory in this cam- paign. But another opportunity was offered the Illinois soldiers to atone for the mistakes at Stillman's defeat and Kellog's Grove.
In order to draw off General Atkinson's army so that his people might cross the Mississippi, Black Hawk picked out about twenty Indians and attacked At- kinson's forces. Atkinson charged the Indians and followed them as they re- treated, thinking he was in pursuit of Black Hawk's main army. General Henry soon observed that the main trail followed to the south to the river. As he was left without orders, he led his brigade over the trail and was soon engaged in a pitched battle with Black Hawk's main army of over three hun- dred braves. General Henry's men charged the Indians and, killing and wound- ing many, drove the remainder into the river, many to drown and others to low, willow covered islands.
General Atkinson heard the heavy firing of General Henry's brigade and returned in time to order his men to charge the island, killing or capturing the remnant of Black Hawk's British band.
Black Hawk and a few of his men escaped to the north. They were cap- tured by friendly Sioux and Winnebagoes and turned over to Colonel Zachary Taylor.
General Winfield Scott, who had been sent to take command of the forces in the war against Black Hawk, arrived in Galena August 3d, the next day after the final defeat of the Indians. General Scott came to Galena over the Kel- log Trail through Stephenson County. September 21, 1832, he made a treaty with the Sacs and Foxes again affirming the treaty of 1804.
Black Hawk was taken on a trip through the large cities of the east to Washington City. In 1833, he returned to his people in Iowa and died at the age of eighty, October 3, 1840.
Black Hawk's War has a manyfold significance in the history of Stephenson County, though there was not at that time a single settler in the county. Kel- log's Trail was the main line of communication between the settlements about Dixon and the lead mines about Galena and Fort Hamilton. Three frontier battles were fought in the county: Captain Snyder's Battle, the Battle of Kel- log's Grove and Captain J. W. Stephenson's Battle near Waddams. Up and
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down Kellog's Trail rode these rough riders: Gratiot, Hamilton, Stephenson and Dodge.
Many of the men who served as regulars or as volunteers, as officers or as privates; men who were destined to become distinguished in the nation's his- tory crossed Stephenson County, camping on her soil at Kellog's cabins. Two of these men, Colonel Zachary Taylor and Captain Abraham Lincoln, were to become presidents of the United States. Albert Sidney Johnston, who kept an accurate journal throughout the war, was to be a leading general in the Southern Confederacy of which Lieutenant Jefferson Davis was to be president. Besides, there were Joseph E. Johnston, Major Robert Anderson, General Win- field Scott and many others destined to become famous in the subsequent his- tory of the state and nation.
The greatest significance lay in the fact that the defeat of Black Hawk opened Stephenson County to peaceable settlement. Almost immediately, per- manent settlements were made. Strong men had conquered the Indian and now strong men, the first generation, began a struggle equally heroic-the con- quest of the wild and native soil to the pursuits of a civilized people.
In his address at Pearl City, Hon. Henry D. Dement, speaking of the. in- dependent rangers said: "It required men like these, with iron nerve, incapable of fatigue, yielding to no hardship, to pave the way for the civilization that was to follow."
THE ORIGINAL MUSTER ROLL.
General Robert Anderson, of Fort Sumter fame, was the United States en- rolling officer of the Black Hawk War. He kept the original muster roll of the Illinois regiments, battalions and companies in the war. General Anderson's widow carefully preserved the roll, and a few years ago, after a conference with Congressman Hitt of this district, the original roll was sent to Governor John P. Altgeld, to be placed in the archives of the State of Illinois. Early in the list of independent companies are the companies of Captain Jacob M. Early and Captain Elijah Iles. On the former roll, the name of A. Lincoln appears as No. 4 in the list of privates.
In a letter to Samuel Dodds, General Geo. W. Jones, who took part in the Black Hawk War, says that during the war, Jefferson Davis visited at his home, at Sinsinawa, frequently, and often escorted to his house a young lady of this section. General Jones was with General Dodge when the Hall girls were taken from the Indians. In another letter, General Jones says, "It was I who found the body of Felix StVrain, the Indian agent, who was slain by the Indians. General Jones was later a United States senator from Iowa.
Colonel Hitt, while engaged in a government survey in Stephenson County, discovered a charred stake and human bones, at West Point, where, it is be- lieved, one of the men who escaped at the time of StVrain's murder, was cap- tured and burned at the stake.
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