History of the early settlers of Sangamon County, Illinois : "centennial record", Part 7

Author: Power, John Carroll, 1819-1894; Power, S. A. (Sarah A.), 1824-; Old Settlers' Society of Sangamon County (Ill.)
Publication date: 1876
Publisher: Springfield, Ill. : E.A. Wilson & Co.
Number of Pages: 824

USA > Illinois > Sangamon County > History of the early settlers of Sangamon County, Illinois : "centennial record" > Part 7

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The ground plan is in the form of a great eross. The grand outlines are, total length from north to south, 359 fect, exclusive of porticos; and from east to west, 266 feet, with twenty feet additional in the grand portico at the east end, which is the prin-

SANGAMON COUNT1.

cipal front. The body of the edifice above ground consists of the FIRST STORY, PRIN- CIPAL STORY, SECOND PRINCIPAL STORY and GALLERY STORY.

July 2, 1870, the people of Illinois voted on the question of adopting or rejecting a new constitution, that had been prepared by a convention legally called for that pur- pose. It was adopted by a large majority. A clause in the new constitution prohibited the legislature making appropriations for the State house, then in course of construc- tion, beyond a total amount of three and a half millions of dollars, unless the question of additional appropriations was first submitted to a vote of the people. The money within the constitutional limit has all been appropriated. The dates of approval by the Governor, and amounts, are given below. The fourth appropriation was to be ex- pended equally in the years 1873-4:

February 25, 27, 1867. $450,000

March 11, 27, 1869. 650,000

June 14, IS71. 600,000

March 19, 1873. 1,000,000

March 24, 1875.

S00,000

Total $3,500,000

There is much work yet to be done, but whether an additional appropriation, re- quiring a vote of the people, will be necessary to complete the grand edifice, is a question for a future legislature to determine. The building was so far advanced that the State archives were removed thereto, and the State officers took possession of it in January 1876, and in that way the State of Illinois inaugurated the great American Centennial.

GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS.

TERRITORIAL.

Ninian Edwards

from 1809 to ISIS

STATE.

Shadrach Bond ISIS-IS22

Edward Coles IS22-IS26

Ninian Edwards I S26-1830

John Reynolds 1830-1834

Lieutenant-Governor Casey, elected with Gov. Reynolds in 1830, was elected to Congress in 1832. Wm. L. D. Ewing, a member of the Senate, was chosen President of the Senate. Gov. Reynolds was elected to Congress in August, 1834, and left the State for the national capital about the middle of November. Wm. L. D. Ewing, as President of the Senate, was Governor fifteen days, until the assembling of the Legis- lature in December, and the inauguration of the governor elect.

Joseph Duncan. from 1834 to 1838

Thomas Carlin from 1838 to 1842

Thomas Ford from 1842 to 1846

The constitution of 1848 changed the time of the assembling of the Legislature from December to January, and ordered a new election in November, 1848, for four years. Consequently-

HISTORICAL PRELUDE.

Augustus C. French was Governor

from 1846 to 1853

Joel A. Matteson from 1853 to 1857

Wm. H. Bissell from 1857 to 1860

Lieutenant-Governor John Wood

He died March IS, 1860, and -- from 1860 to 1861

Richard Yates from 1861 to 1865

Richard J. Oglesby

from 1865 to 1869

John M. Palmer. . from 1869 to 1873 Richard J. Oglesby, inaugurated in 1873, but immediately elected to the U. S. Senate, when the Lientenant-Governor --

John L. Beveridge from 1873 to 1877

TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION.

A law was enacted by the General Assembly of Illinois, and approved by the Gov- ernor, February 10, 1849, providing for township organization, but leaving it optional with counties to adopt it or not. Sangamon county never took any action under that law.

Another law was enacted and approved February 17, 1851, providing for township organization, and differing from the law of 1849 in some of its provisions. Under that law a petition was laid before the commissioners' court, June 5, 1860, praying the court to cause to be submitted to the voters of the county the question of township organiza- tion. The court, having heard the petition, ordered that the prayer of the petitioners be granted, and the subject be submitted at the next general election, which was held Tuesday, November 6, 1860. The vote was canvassed by the court on the tenth of December following, when it was ascertained that there was a majority of $59 votes in favor of township organization, on a total vote, of 7,241. The following action was then taken: "Ordered by the Court, that John S. Bradford, John Gardner, Sen., and Joseph Campbell be appointed commissioners to divide Sangamon county into towns or townships, in accordance with the fifth and sixth sections of the General Law of the State of Illinois, in relation to township organization." March 1, 1861, the commis- sioners submitted their report, and the following are the names of the townships:

Auburn,

Island Grove,

Ball,

Loami,

Buffalo Heart, Campbell, now Chatham,

Mechanicsburg,

Power, now Fancy Creek,

Cartwright,

Clear Lake,

Pawnee, Rochester, Sackett, now Salisbury,

Cooper, Cotton Hill, Curran, Gardner, Illiopolis,

Springfield, Talkington, Williams, Woodside.

New Berlin has since been formed from part of Island Grove, and Wheatfield from part of Illiopolis, making a total of 24 townships.

SANGAMON COUNTI.

An election was held for choosing supervisors, Tuesday, April 2, 1861. The first meet- ing of the Board of Supervisors was held April 29, 1861, on a call of eight members, which was the method pointed out in the law. From that to the present time the bus- iness of Sangamon county has been transacted by a Board of Supervisors, elected annually.

POST OFFICES IN SANGAMON COUNTY.

Auburn,

Illiopolis,

Barclay,.

Loami,

Bates,

Lowder,

Berlin,

Mechanicsburg,

Berry,

New Berlin,

* Bradfordton,

+ New Harmony,

+ Breckenridge,

Pawnee,

Buffalo,

Pleasant Plains,

Buffalo Heart,

Richland,

Cantrall,

Riverton,

Chatham,

Rochester,

Cotton Hill,

Salisbury,

Cross Plains,

Sherman,

Curran,

Springfield,

Dawson,

Wheatfield,

Farmingdale, Iles Junction,

Williamsville,

Woodside.

* This is a new office anthorized by the post office department, but not yet organized. Feb., 1876.

t The original name of this office was New Harmony, but is about being changed to Breckenridge.

SANGAMON COUNTY IN THE INDIAN WARS.

I shall have occasion, all through the biographical part of the work, to make frequent mention of the part taken in the Winnebago and Black Hawk wars by the early set- tlers of the county; for that reason I deem it best to give a brief account of them here.

THE WINNEBAGO WAR: When the war of 1812-14, with England, drew to a close, there were many Indians in the territory of Illinois. They generally gave way as civilization advanced, yielding the ground, sometimes reluctantly, but peaceably, until the summer of 1827. It was known to the white settlers that the different tribes of Indians along the northern and western frontier were at war among themselves. After the discovery of lead around what is now Galena, the white people flocked to that region in great numbers. In their search for minerals they encroached upon the lands of the Winnebago tribe. Being thus irritated, a small party of their tribe sur- prised a party of twenty-four Chippeways and killed eight of them. The United States Commander, at Fort Snelling, on the upper Mississippi, caused four of the offend- ing Winnebagoes to be arrested and delivered to the Chippeways, by whom they were shot for murder. Red Bird, the chief of the Sioux, though acting with the Winneba- goes in an attempt to obtain revenge for the killing of the four members of their tribe, was defeated by the Chippeways. He then determined to wreak his vengeance on the white people who had assisted his enemies and invaded his country. June 27th

HISTORICAL PRELUDE.

two white men were killed near Prairie DuChien, and on the thirtieth of July two keel boats, carrying supplies to Fort Snelling, were attacked and two of the crew killed. The news soon spread among the settlers, and upon a call from Gov. Edwards, four companies of infantry and one of cavalry were made up in Sangamon county. The cavalry company was commanded by Edward Mitchell, and the four infantry companies by Captains Thomas Constant, Reuben Brown, Achilles Morris and Bowlin Green. The whole under command of Col. Tom. M. Neale, with James D. Henry as adjutant, (the latter was at that time sheriff of Sangamon county,) marched to Peoria, where the regiment was more fully organized, and continued to Galena. Before their arrival in the Indian country, Red Bird with six of his warriors, voluntarily gave them- selves up to the U. S. forces under Gen. Atkinson, to save their tribe from the miseries of war. Thus ended the campaign, and the Sangamon county soldiers returned to their homes.

Of the six Indians held as prisoners, some were acquitted and others convicted and hung, more than a year after they were captured. Red Bird, whose proud spirit could not endure the humiliation and confinement, sickened and died in prison. His fate was much deplored by the whites, for he had been a true friend to them until the United States Governmont compelled his Winnebago friends to give up the four men to the Chippeways to be shot.

THE BLACK HAWK WAR: The Sac and Fox Indians were first recognized by the United States Government in 1787, in a treaty at Fort Harmer, negotiated by Gov. St. Clair, in which the Indians were guaranteed protection. In ISo4, in a treaty con- ducted by Wm. H. Harrison-afterwards President of the United States-their title to a large scope of country on Rock river was extinguished, but they were permitted to occupy the country as a hunting ground, their principal village being at the north of Rock river, near where the city of Rock Island now stands. A third treaty was en- tered into in 1830, by the terms of which they were to remove from the lands they had sold, east of the Mississippi, and peaceably retire to the west side of the river.

The two principal chiefs of the nation were Keokuk and Black Hawk, the latter of whom was born in 1767, at the largest village of their tribe, at the mouth of Rock river. He had fought on the side of the British in the war of 1812, at the head of 200 savages, for which he annually received payment to the time of their removal west of the Mississippi. Consequently, their band was always called the British Band. Black Hawk moved reluctantly, claiming that his tribe had been injured by the people of the United States. Keokuk determined to abide by the treaty, and drew the larger part of the tribe after him, but Black Hawk declared all the treaties void, and in the spring of 1831, at the head of 300 warriors, crossed to the east side of the river and engaged in a series of acts exceedingly annoying to the few settlers who had purchased the sites of the former homes of the Indians, from the government. The Indians would throw down fences, destroy grain, throw the roofs from their houses, and declared that if the settlers did not leave they would kill them. Governor John Reynolds, on being in- formed of the state of affairs on Rock river, determined to expel the Indians. He issued a proclamation, May 27, 1831, calling for volunteers, and named June 10th as the time, and Beardstown as the place of rendezvous. More than twice the 700 men called for volunteered. Finding so many willing to go, it was decided to accept the services

SANGAMON COUNTY.

of the whole 1,600 men. They were organized into two regiments, one spy and one odd battalion. James D. Henry, of Springfield, who had been the adjutant in the Winnebago war, was appointed to command the first regiment. I will now confine myself to the part Sangamon county took in the campaign. James Campbell, Adam Smith, and Jonathan R. Saunders cach commanded a company. When the Indian town was reached at the mouth of Rock river, it was found to be deserted. The In- dians had taken advantage of the darkness and fled to the west side of the Mississippi river, near where the cities of Davenport and Rock Island now stand. The savages having escaped, the soldiers took vengeance by burning the village. Gen. Gaines, who commanded the United States soldiers, sent an order to Black Hawk, requiring him and his band to return and enter into a treaty of peace. He failed to come, when a more peremptory order, with the threat of following them with all the troops at his command, brought in about thirty chiefs, including Black Hawk, and a treaty was signed on the 30th of June, 1831. By that treaty the Indians agreed to remain west of the river, and never to cross it without permission from the President of the United States. After distributing the food intended for sustaining the soldiers, among the Indians, the volunteer army disbanded and returned to their homes, without the loss of a single person by disease, aceident, or otherwise.

Before the Indians were forced to leave their village and return to the west side of the river, Naopope, a chief of the British band, and next to Black Hawk in authority, had started on a visit to Malden, Canada, to consult his English father-some com- mander there, probably-concerning the right of the Indians to retake possession of their lands on Rock river. On his return he also visited White Cloud, the prophet of the Winnebagoes, at Prophetstown, 35 miles from the mouth of Rock river. White Cloud assured his visitor that not only the British but the Ottawas, Chippewas, Pota- wattomies and Winnebagoes would assist his tribe in regaining their village and the lands around it. When Naopope returned, in the summer, he found his tribe west of the river, and bound, by a new treaty, not to interfere with the whites in possession of their former homes. Notwithstanding this, he communicated to Black Hawk the en- couragement he had received. Black Hawk immediately commenced recruiting to in- crease the number of his braves, and sent a messenger to Keokuk, requesting his co- operation. The latter refused, and counseled Black Hawk to abstain from any hostile movement, assuring him that the promises of support could not be relied on. Black Hawk rejected such good advice, and resolved to bid defiance to the whites. He spent the winter of 1831-2 in recruiting, and raised about 500 warriors. His headquarters were at what is now the city of Fort Madison, Iowa. In the spring he started, with his warriors, on horseback, while the squaws, papooses and baggage were loaded in canoes, and all moved up the river. April 6, 1832, the whole party crossed the Missis- sippi, opposite the mouth of Rock river, and commenced ascending that stream, osten- sibly for the purpose of entering the territory of the Winnebagoes and raising a crop with them, but the real objeet was to secure them as allies.

Gen. Atkinson, in command of Fort Armstrong, on Rock Island, sent messengers ordering them to return west of the Mississippi river. Black Hawk positively re- fused to go. When this became known in the settlement the greatest consternation prevailed, and the settlers fled from their homes in search of safety. Messengers were dispatched to Vandalia, and Gov. Reynolds issued a call, on the 16th, for volunteers to

HISTORICAL PRELUDE.

assemble at Beardstown on the 22d of the month. Gen. Atkinson at the same time called for volunteers to aid the regular soldiers at Rock Island. Gov. Reynolds, at the time of issuing the call for volunteer soldiers, addressed an open letter to the citizens in the northwestern counties, and sent influential messengers among the people, and in every way endeavored to encourage enlistments. Eighteen hundred men rallied under this call at Beardstown, on the 22d of April. Among them were three regularly or- ganized companies from Sangamon county. One was commanded by Thomas Moffitt, one by Jesse Claywell, of which Rezin H. Constant afterwards became Captain, and one by Abraham Lincoln. They were divided into four regiments and a spy battalion. The First regiment was commanded by Col. De Witt, the Second by Col. Fry, the Third by Col. Thomas, the Fourth by Col. Samuel M. Thompson. In the latter Abraham Lincoln commanded a company. Col. James D. Henry commanded the spy battalion. The whole brigade was put under the command of Brigadier-Gen. Samuel Whitesides, of the State militia, who had commanded the spy battalion in the first campaign.

On the 27th of April Gen. Whitesides began his forward movement, accompanied by Gov. Reynolds. The army proceeded by way of Oquawka to the mouth of Rock river, where it was agreed between Generals Whiteside and Atkinson, in command of the regulars, that the volunteers should march up Rock river to Prophetstown, and there feed and rest their horses. On arriving there the volunteers burned the town, and Gen. Whiteside continued the march in the direction of Dixon, arriving at the lat- ter place, the General ordered a halt, and sent out parties to reconnoitre. Here he found two battalions, consisting of 275 mounted men, from the counties of McLean, Tazewell, Peoria and Fulton, under the command of Majors Stillman and Bailey. Major Stillman was from Sangamon county. (See his name.) The officers of this force had previously been ordered in advance of the main body to protect the settlers, and now they asked to be put forward on some dangerous service, in which they could have an opportunity to distinguish themselves. They were accordingly ordered further up Rock river, to spy out the Indians, The forward movement began on the 12th of May, Major Stillman being chief in command. He moved up Rock river, on the southeast side until they came to a small stream that rises in Ogle county and empties into Rock river. This stream was then called Old Man's creek, but from that date has borne the name of Stillman's run. There he encamped for the night, and in a short time a party of Indians were seen on horseback about a mile from the camp. A party of Major Stillman's men mounted their horses, without orders or commander, and were soon followed by others, and in this helter skelter manner pursued the Indians, who, after displaying a red flag, endeavored to make their escape, but were overtaken and three of them slain. This brought on an attack from the main body of Black Hawk's army, numbering about 700 warriors. Those who, by their insubordination, brought on the fight, retreated, and, with their horses on a full run, dashed through the camp of Major Stillman, who did all that was possible by ordering his men to retreat in order and form on higher ground, but they never found a rallying point until they reached Dixon, thirty miles distant. Both Ford, and Davidson & Stuve, in their his- tories of Illinois, exonerate Major Stillman and his men from all blame, and rightly attribute the disaster to want of discipline and that experience which is necessary to give soldiers confidence in their officers and in each other.

SANGAMON COUNTY.

That opened the war, and there could be no cessation of hostilities until one side or the other yielded the ground. It is not my purpose to attempt following out all the details of the war, but will hasten to a close. For a time the Indians scattered them- selves over the country. They would lay in ambush and shoot down detached bodies of armed men, or murder and scalp unprotected women and children. Men were gen- erally enlisted for short terms, and sometimes, when the main body of the Indians were almost in their grasp, the term of enlistment would expire, and they would insist on being discharged. To fill their places with new recruits required time. At the time of the repulse of Major Stillman and bis men, there were about twenty-four hundred men under arms, including the volunteers from Illinois and the regular soldiers from Fort Arm- strong, under Gen. Atkinson. They could have killed, or driven every Indian across the Mississippi river in one month, but the term for which they had enlisted had nearly expired, and they were anxious to be discharged. The Governor had previously issued orders for raising two thousand men. He then called for a volunteer regiment from among those whose time had expired, to hold the Indians in check until the new re- cruits could be brought to the scene of conflict. It was soon raised and put under command of Col. Fry and Lieutenant-Col. James D. Henry. Gen. Whiteside volun- teered as a private. This body of men had a number of encounters with the savages before the new recruits were brought into the field. The new levy assembled at Beardstown, and were at once ordered to Fort Wilburn, on the south bank of the Illi- nois river, about one mile above the town of Peru. There the volunteer forces were organized into three brigades. The first and second were organized June 16, 1832, with 1,000 men each. Alexander Posey was elected General of the first and Milton K. Alexander, General of the second brigade. The third brigade was organized June 1Sth, with 1,200 men, and Col. James D. Henry was elected General. This made the volunteer force consist of 3,200 men, exclusive of the regular soldiers under Gen. At- kinson. Many weeks were spent in trying to find the main body of Black Hawk's warriors. They were all the time working their way further north, hoping to elude their pursuers. The army was continually undergoing changes. July 15, 1832, found Gen. Henry, Gen. Alexander and Major Dodge far up in Wisconsin, at a place called Fort Winnebago. Some Winnebago chiefs came in and reported that Black Hawk was encamped on Rock river. The three officers above named held a council and, although it was in violation of orders, they decided to march directly for the Indian camp, hoping to take them by surprise. General Alexander soon announced that his men refused to go, and Major Dodge that his horses were too much disabled to go, but a body of men soon after arrived from Galena to join Major Dodge's battalion, which made his effective force 120 men. Gen. Henry's brigade was by this time reduced to between five and six hundred men, but only about four hundred and fifty had horses. While making arrangements to start, Gen. Henry discovered that his own men, in- fluenced by association with those of Gen. Alexander, were on the point of open mutiny. Lieutenant-Col. Jeremiah Smith, of one of his regiments, presented to the General a written protest, signed by all the officers of his regiment except Col. Fry, against the expedition. Gen. Henry quietly but firmly ordered the men under arrest for mutiny, assigning a body of soldiers to escort them back to Gen. Atkinson. Col. Smith begged permission to consult a few moments with the officers before anything further was done. In less than ten minutes they were all at the General's quarters, pleading for pardon and pledging themselves to return to duty. Gen. Henry replied -S

HISTORICAL PRELUDE.

in a few dignified and kindly remarks, and all returned to their duty. Gen. Alexander's men marched back, and the others started in pursuit of the enemy, under the direction of competent guides. Three days' hard marching brought them to Rock river. Here three Winnebagoes gave intelligence that Black Hawk was further up the river. Pre- parations were made for a forced march the next morning, and Dr. Elias Merriman, of Springfield, in company with W. W. Woodbridge, of Wisconsin, and a chief called Little Thunder, for a guide, were started about dark that evening to convey dispatches down the river to Gen. Atkinson. They had gone but a few miles to the southwest when they fell into a fresh broad trail of the enemy endeavoring to escape. Little Thunder hastened back in terror to the camp to warn the Indians that their efforts to deceive the commanding General were detected. They were all arrested by Major Murrey McConnell, of Jacksonville, and taken to the tent of Gen. Henry, and confessed that they had come into camp and given false information to aid the Indians in their retreat. On the next morning, July 19, a forced march commenced in pursuit of the Indians. On the third day, about four o'clock in the afternoon, the advance guard was fired upon by the savages secreted in the grass. The fight continued until dark, and the men lay on their arms until morning, when it was discovered that the Indians had all crossed the Wisconsin river during the night. Sixty-eight Indians were left dead on the field, and twenty-five more were found dead along the line of march. Only one white man was killed and eight wounded. This has always been known as the battle of the Wisconsin.

The next day Gen. Henry found his men too much worn down by fatigue and want of food to pursue the retreating Indians. After two days march he joined Gen. Atkinson at Blue Mounds, with the regulars, and Alexander's and Posey's brigades. It was soon apparent to General Henry and his officers that General Atkinson and all the regular officers were deeply mortified at the success of the militia, who they did not intend should have any credit in the war. After two days' preparation, the whole force, under direction of General Atkinson, took up their line of march, July 25th, in pursuit of the Indians. Crossing the Wisconsin river, and striking the trail of the Indians, the regu- lars were put in front, Dodge's battalion and Posey's and Alexander's brigades came next, and Gen. Henry, with his command, was placed in the rear, in charge of the baggage. All parties clearly understood this to be an insult to Gen. Henry and his brave volunteers for having found, pursued and defeated Black Hawk and his warriors, while the regulars, and Alexander's brigade, who had refused to accompany Henry, were taking their ease at a long distance from the scene of danger. Gen. Henry's brigade keenly felt the insult, and claimed the right to be placed in front, but the Gen- eral never uttered a word of complaint, and his men, following his noble example, quietly trudged on in the rear. After a full week of weary marching, at ten o'clock on the morning of August 2d, the army reached the bluff's of the Mississippi river, which, at that point, was some distance from the margin of the stream. Black Hawk had ar- rived at the stream a day or two before, and the Indians were crossing as fast as they could. On the first day of August the steamboat Warrior, which had been employed to convey supplies up the river for the army, was coming down, and notwithstanding the Indians displayed a white flag, the captain affected to believe it was only a decoy, gave them fifteen minutes to remove their women and children, when he fired a six-pound can- non, loaded with cannister, into their midst, followed by a severe fire of musketry. In less

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History of the early settlers of Sangamon County, Illinois : "centennial record", Part 7

Author: Power, John Carroll, 1819-1894; Power, S. A. (Sarah A.), 1824-; Old Settlers' Society of Sangamon County (Ill.) Publication date: 1876 Publisher: Springfield, Ill. : E.A. Wilson & Co. Number of Pages: 824

Author: Power, John Carroll, 1819-1894; Power, S. A. (Sarah A.), 1824-; Old Settlers' Society of Sangamon County (Ill.)
Publication date: 1876
Publisher: Springfield, Ill. : E.A. Wilson & Co.
Number of Pages: 824