The troops were officered by General Atkinson, Colonel Zachary Taylor, afterwards president of the United States, Captain Abraham Lincoln, who filled the same high office, Captain, afterwards Major General, Harney, and other officers. Captain Lincoln belonged to the volunteer forces and the others to the regulars. It was about the middle of May, and the moon being full the night was beautiful. The men were enjoying themselves as I had not seen them before, little thinking that so near them their friends were fleeing for safety and some were being overtaken and killed. About 10 o'clock the next morning we met a young man by the name of Hultz from Dixon's ferry, who told us of Major Stillman's defeat by the Indians, and that there was probably a great loss of life. Major Stillman had rendezvoused at Dixon with about 300 men that had been raised in the neighborhood of Peoria, while the governor and his men rendezvoused at Beardstown. The governor was ordered to this place and when he reached here Major Stillman had been several days in camp; his men already tired of camp life, Stillman proposed to the governor while he was waiting for General Atkinson and the boats to take his men and go and see where the Indians were. The governor consented to their going, and they drew rations for four or five days. According to army regulations at that time, whiskey constituted a part of the rations. On the first day out they seemed to conclude they could carry their whiskey best by drinking it all in one day and before night they had very nearly accomplished this task and a good many of them were not altogether sober. About an hour before sundown they went into camp within three or four miles of the Indians. They had not been in camp long before Black Hawk sent three of his braves with a flag of truce, saying for Black Hawk "That is was now night, and for that reason he did not come himself, but that he would come in the morning and talk with them, and did not intend to fight." Black Hawk sent five of his men out on the prairie to see how their flag was received. About twenty or thirty of our men, being under the influence of whiskey, gathered up their horses and guns and rode out to where these Indians were sitting, apparently unconcerned, not expecting any harm. They allowed our men to come within a few feet of them, when our men, be it said to their shame, deliberately raised their guns, killing three of the Indians, the other two fleeing to their encampment. The indians who brought the flag of truce took advantage of the flurry, sprang away and escaped. Now our folks prepared to meet the Indians, as they felt sure of a fight. They mounted, formed in line and moved slowly towards the Indian encampment. As soon as the news of the attack on their men reached the Indians they flew to arms in the greatest possible speed, and came on to the fight. The Indians commenced firing at a long distance and before many shots had been fired our men commenced a stampede for Dixon, the Indians close in the rear, killing all who were unhorsed in the fight. The horse of Black Buffalo came into Dixon that night - he had left the Indians again. The men who first came into Dixon reported that a large part of the command had been killed and it was not known for some time but that it was so. A considerable number of the men from the country about the Illinois river, instead of coming into Dixon, went to their homes. The next day the governor sent out a strong force to bury the dead. They found eleven whites killed, scattered along for several miles, and not more than five or six Indians, including the three killed on the prairie. There was an Indian living here by the name of Neapope, who, before General Gaines came here, had gone to Malden, in Canada. The British part of our Indians made a practice, as well as most of the Indians of the northwest, of going to Canada to pay court to the English. Colonel Davenport told me they would collect in large numbers on the Detroit side of the river and the authorities at Malden would fix on a particular day for each tribe to cross, and would give them a day's entertainment. They prepared a feast and met the Indians with a band of music, and escorted them into the fort where a great deal was done for their pleasure and amusement. Neapope and some others had gone to Canada before there was any demonstration, in 1831, to drive them off, and came back in the fall in perfect ignorance of the removal of the Indians. During the winters of 1831-2 Neapope continued to run back and forth from our Indians to the Winnebagoes and Pottawattamies, making Black Hawk believe that when he got up Rock river these tribes would help him, and when he reached Milwaukee the English would assist him. When Black Hawk, on his way up Rock river, reached Sycamore creek, where our army found him, those Indians told him they could not bring themselves into trouble with the government and consequently he could not look to them for assistance. After meeting these Indians I have not the least doubt but Black Hawk intended to give himself and people up without making any resistance, had our men not been intoxicated and therefore violated his flag of truce. The time was now past for parleying with the Indians. From this time the prospect was war. The Indians now flew to unprotected white settlements, waylaid the roads leading from one point to another, killing a number of people in a few days. There were fifteen killed on Indian creek. They carried off captive two young ladies by the name of Hall, after killing all the other members of the family except a brother, quite a young boy, who made his escape. These young ladies were afterwards bought by the Pottawattamies, who paid for them in horses, and returned them to our government. Their clothes being quite shabby, the ladies of Galena gave them new clothing and they were brought to Rock Island on their way to Morgan county. They waylaid the roads leading from Dixon to Galena. At Buffalo Grove a party of men were passing, unconscious of danger, as the settlements were too far apart to get any news so soon of Stillman's defeat. One of this party was our Indian agent by the name of Savry, another Thomas Kinney and another by the name of Hawley; the other members of the party I cannot name. The Indians lay behind a large, long log, near the road. They fired, killing one man and one horse, then killing the man who had lost his horse. Mr. Savry was one of the killed. Mr. Hawley, having a very fine horse, they followed him in hot pursuit for thirty miles. After this terrible chase they run his horse in marshy ground and he fell a victim to their savage rage. Mr. Hawley was a brother of the late Captain Hawley, of Pleasant Valley, Scott county, Iowa. This account was given me by Thomas Kinney, a neighbor of mine, who was one of the party. About twenty miles east of Galena Lieutenant Aubery, of our old command, started to carry a dispatch from Fort Hamilton, a short distance. His horse soon returned with a bloody saddle and it was evident he had been shot by the Indians. It so happened that old General Dodge, with twenty men, was at the fort, and he started quickly in pursuit. Soon finding the dead man, they followed the trail of the Indians, which by the long grass is easily done. They soon came in sight of them, thirteen in all, on foot. They were making their way in great haste to the Pecatonica bottom, where the grass was from six to eight feet high. The general dismounted, detailing every fourth man to hold the horses, leaving fifteen men to pursue the Indians. They followed the trail almost to the river when suddenly the Indians sprang up and fired upon them, killing two of our men, one of these being Samuel Wells, a son of Rinnah Wells, and a member of our old company. Our men returned their fire, bringing down eleven of the Indians the first fire, the remaining two taking refuge in the river, trying to make their escape. Our men, reloading their guns, fired, killing them in the water, thus securing the thirteen. About eight or ten miles north of Galena where two men were at work in a corn field, one plowing, the other hoeing corn, two Indians placed themselves so that the man plowing would come near them, killing him the first fire. The other, seeing his companion shot down, and having no means of defense, took to his heels for Galena. The Indians pursued him several miles, but, being a swift runner, he made his escape. The Indians returned to the house, taking what suited their fancy. There was a large canoe at the house and it being too heavy for them to get to the river, they found a crosscut saw in the house and cut off as much as much as could ferry them over the river, and made good their escape. Some twenty miles southeast from Galena, where Elizabeth now is, there was a small settlement of miners, who had erected a rude fort for their protection. An old man by the name of Dixon, who was a frontier man, and well accustomed to Indians, started for Dixon's ferry, accompanied by a man on foot. About a mile from the place of starting they met a large force of Indians, who fired on them, wounding the man on foot. The country being rough and wooded, Dixon, by his dexterity, riding about rapidly, showing himself in many different places in a short time, gave the Indians to believe they had a large force of armed and mounted men to contend with. In this way Dixon gave the wounded man time to reach the fort and appraise the settlers of their danger. The people had scattered out about their business but the alarm being given they were immediately collected in the fort. If it had not been for Dixon's ingenious manoeuvering, detaining the Indians, they must have been all massacred as they had hardly time to reach the fort before the Indians took possession of the village and surrounded the fort. The Indians could go from one house to another with comparative safety. They plundered the houses of whatever suited their fancy, and carried off all the valuables, as well as most of the provisions in the village. Watching about the fort, if anyone showed himself inside he was fired on by them. One man, showing his head above the fort, received a bullet, breaking his neck. Dixon, instead of stopping at the fort, pressed on to Galena to get a force for their relief. They came on as rapidly as possible and when a short distance south of Elizabeth they found a large force of Indians secreted in the bushes and grass. The Indians, allowing our men to come within a few feet of them, fired, killing several, among others Mr. George Ames, a brother of Mrs. William Brooks, Sr. About this time there were about seventy regular soldiers stationed at Kellogg's Grove, there being a large hewed log house there which made a safe rendezvous for persons going from one point to another, or for those hard pressed by the Indians, which was often the case. One of our mounted companies was driven in by the Indians and was obliged to flee to this place for safety. Hitching their horses as near the house as possible, so as to be able to protect them somewhat from the Indians, they took shelter in the house. The Indians crept up among the trees and shot down fifty-seven horses. They saw one horse acting very strangely and thought they could see something in the weeds in front of him. They concluded this was an Indian and so three or four shots were fired at him. After the Indians had left, in looking over the battlefield, some of the men from this neighborhood recognized Black Buffalo as the man who was in the weeds. Trading horses had brought him to his death, as he had lost his horse at Stillman's defeat and was trying to get another. He had a long stick with which he took the bridle off the stake of the fence, and was trying to creep along and lead him away, but the horse being afraid of him, caused our men to discover and kill him. Debbie Clough G-erischer G-erischer Family Web Site http://gerischer.rootsweb.com/ Assistant CC, Iowa Gen Web, Scott County http://www.celticcousins.net/scott/ List Manager for: IASCOTT-L * G-erischer-L * D-encker-L Fitzpatirck-L * V-lerebome-L * Huntington-L * Otis-L * Algar-L EIGS-L * Pickens-L * McNab-L * Patris-L - Rankin-L