Abraham Lincoln and the Black Hawk War
Abraham Lincoln took a keen interest in the conduct of the Civil War, going so far as to read a number of books about military strategy that he had taken out of the Library of Congress. But almost three decades earlier, Lincoln had served as a volunteer in the Illinois Militia during the Black Hawk War. Lincoln never saw combat during his tour but was elected captain of his first company. He was also present in the aftermath of two of that war's battles, where he helped to bury soldiers who had died in battle. By his own account, Lincoln's service had a lasting impression on him and he related tales about it later in life.
The Black Hawk War began when a Chief of the Sauk nation named Black Hawk became upset at the loss of his birthplace in a treaty dispute. Black Hawk led a number of attempted raids across the Mississippi River beginning in 1830. Each time, he was persuaded to return west without bloodshed. But in April 1832, he again led a raid into Illinois. On April 5, 1832, Black Hawk and approximately 1,000 warriors crossed the Mississippi River into Illinois in an attempt to reclaim their land. About half of Black Hawk's band were combatants and the rest were a combination of women, children, and elderly. The band consisted of members of the Sauk, Fox, Potawatomi, and Kickapoo nations. Black Hawk wanted to reclaim lost lands and try to create a confederacy of Native Americans to stand against white settlements. Black Hawk was unable to forge a coalition and he attempted to return to Iowa. State militias of Wisconsin and Illinois were mobilized to hunt down Black Hawk's band. The conflict became known as the Black Hawk War.
At the time of Black Hawk's incursion into Illinois, Lincoln was living in New Salem, where he had lived for two years. Prior to the Black Hawk War, in March 1832, Lincoln announced his candidacy for the Illinois House of Representatives but the election was several months away. Lincoln responded to the governor's call for volunteer militia and on April 21, 1832 Lincoln and the other volunteers gathered at the property of Dallas Scott. Lincoln and others formed a company of volunteer militia near Beardstown, Illinois. The men elected Lincoln as captain. He was put in charge of a rifle company of the 4th Regiment of Mounted Volunteers. The men spent time in Beardstown where they drew provisions and weapons, as many of the men, including Lincoln, owned no weapons. The volunteers marched to Rushville, a distance of 10 miles, on April 30, 1832. The troops continued marching for several days, toward the mouth of the Rock River. General Samuel Whiteside, brigade commander, moved the volunteers to the Prophet's Village, which they burned on May 11, and then continued the men toward Dixon's Ferry, another 40 miles and the next day the troops marched toward Old Man's Creek, where it was rumored that Black Hawk and his men were encamped.
Lincoln engaged in no combat during the Black Hawk War, but he did see scalped corpses and witness the results of the war's atrocities. Lincoln was 23 years old at the time of the Black Hawk War and his experience in the volunteer militia was his only military experience prior to becoming president. Materials at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, document the movements of Lincoln's company after the outbreak of hostilities at the Battle of Stillman's Run. On May 15, 1832 Lincoln's company reached the site of Stillman's Run by sunset. Lincoln and the others arrived to find militia men dead, scalped, and mangled. Captain Lincoln and others buried the dead from Stillman's Run. After an unsuccessful effort to draw out their foe, they returned to Dixon's Ferry.
On May 27 Lincoln's company was mustered out of service. Lincoln was discharged from his command and re-enlisted as a private in the company of Captain Elijah Iles in Ottawa, Illinois. On May 29 Lieutenant Robert Anderson formally mustered Lincoln and 71 other former officers into a company of mounted volunteers under Iles. Atkinson decided not to pursue Black Hawk until further militia reinforcements arrived on June 15. On June 6, 1832 Captain Iles' company, including Lincoln, began the march to Dixon's Ferry, they arrived during the afternoon of June 7. The men arrived back in Dixon's Ferry on June 13 and on June 16 Anderson mustered them out of service at Fort Wilbourn. Before the end of the war Lincoln and the units he was attached to were mustered out of service and Lincoln re-enlisted twice. On June 16 he was mustered out of Iles' company, and from that day until July 10 Lincoln served as a private in Captain Jacob Early's independent company. Later, Lincoln told William Herndon, "I was out of work and there being no danger of more fighting, I could do nothing better than enlist again."
On June 26, 1832, the morning after the Second Battle of Kellogg's Grove, members of the company of Captain Jacob M. Early arrived at Kellogg's Grove to help bury the dead. Lincoln assisted with the burial. He later said of the experience:
I remember just how those men looked as we rode up the little hill where their camp was. The red light of the morning sun was streaming upon them as they lay head towards us on the ground. And every man had a round red spot on top of his head, about as big as a dollar where the redskins had taken his scalp. It was frightful, but it was grotesque, and the red sunlight seemed to paint everything all over. I remember one man had on buckskin breeches.
Early's company, along with Lincoln, remained at Kellogg's Grove until June 28 when they began their march back to Dixon's Ferry, reaching the ferry sometime around 6 a.m. on June 29. On July 10, 1832 Atkinson decided he had too many men and mustered Early's company out of service, Lincoln's military career ended less than three months after it began. Lincoln's horse, along with a comrade's, was stolen the night before he was discharged from service and he made his way back to New Salem mostly on foot
In 1859, Lincoln referred to his service during the Black Hawk War fondly, noting his election as captain as one of the proudest moments in his life. He had earlier made one tongue-in-cheek remark concerning his Black Hawk War service during an 1848 speech before the U.S. Congress in which he referenced his Black Hawk War service, mentioning the Battle of Stillman's Run by name, saying:
By the way Mr. Speaker, did you know that I am a military hero? Yes sir, in the days of the Black Hawk War I fought, bled and came away . . . I was not at Stillman's defeat, but I was about as near it as Cass was Hull's surrender, and, like him, I saw the place very soon afterwards . . . If he saw any live, fighting Indians, it was more than I did; but I had a good many bloody struggles with the mosquitoes, and although I never fainted from the loss of blood, I can truly say I was often very hungry.
There is one other interesting aspect of Lincoln's service. According to a story in the “Democratic Watchman” newspaper from Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, July 30, 1886: “Jefferson Davis, as an officer in the Black Hawk war, administered the oath of allegiance to Abraham Lincoln, entering the service as a lieutenant.” Who knows if this is accurate (since it doesn't seem to be referred to prominently elsewhere)? Jefferson Davis did arrive at the end of the war. David was ordered by his father-in-law, Colonel Zachary Taylor, to escort a prisoner, the captured Chief Black Hawk, and in his autobiography, Black Hawk said that he was treated very fairly by Davis.
The Black Hawk War began when a Chief of the Sauk nation named Black Hawk became upset at the loss of his birthplace in a treaty dispute. Black Hawk led a number of attempted raids across the Mississippi River beginning in 1830. Each time, he was persuaded to return west without bloodshed. But in April 1832, he again led a raid into Illinois. On April 5, 1832, Black Hawk and approximately 1,000 warriors crossed the Mississippi River into Illinois in an attempt to reclaim their land. About half of Black Hawk's band were combatants and the rest were a combination of women, children, and elderly. The band consisted of members of the Sauk, Fox, Potawatomi, and Kickapoo nations. Black Hawk wanted to reclaim lost lands and try to create a confederacy of Native Americans to stand against white settlements. Black Hawk was unable to forge a coalition and he attempted to return to Iowa. State militias of Wisconsin and Illinois were mobilized to hunt down Black Hawk's band. The conflict became known as the Black Hawk War.
At the time of Black Hawk's incursion into Illinois, Lincoln was living in New Salem, where he had lived for two years. Prior to the Black Hawk War, in March 1832, Lincoln announced his candidacy for the Illinois House of Representatives but the election was several months away. Lincoln responded to the governor's call for volunteer militia and on April 21, 1832 Lincoln and the other volunteers gathered at the property of Dallas Scott. Lincoln and others formed a company of volunteer militia near Beardstown, Illinois. The men elected Lincoln as captain. He was put in charge of a rifle company of the 4th Regiment of Mounted Volunteers. The men spent time in Beardstown where they drew provisions and weapons, as many of the men, including Lincoln, owned no weapons. The volunteers marched to Rushville, a distance of 10 miles, on April 30, 1832. The troops continued marching for several days, toward the mouth of the Rock River. General Samuel Whiteside, brigade commander, moved the volunteers to the Prophet's Village, which they burned on May 11, and then continued the men toward Dixon's Ferry, another 40 miles and the next day the troops marched toward Old Man's Creek, where it was rumored that Black Hawk and his men were encamped.
Lincoln engaged in no combat during the Black Hawk War, but he did see scalped corpses and witness the results of the war's atrocities. Lincoln was 23 years old at the time of the Black Hawk War and his experience in the volunteer militia was his only military experience prior to becoming president. Materials at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, document the movements of Lincoln's company after the outbreak of hostilities at the Battle of Stillman's Run. On May 15, 1832 Lincoln's company reached the site of Stillman's Run by sunset. Lincoln and the others arrived to find militia men dead, scalped, and mangled. Captain Lincoln and others buried the dead from Stillman's Run. After an unsuccessful effort to draw out their foe, they returned to Dixon's Ferry.
On May 27 Lincoln's company was mustered out of service. Lincoln was discharged from his command and re-enlisted as a private in the company of Captain Elijah Iles in Ottawa, Illinois. On May 29 Lieutenant Robert Anderson formally mustered Lincoln and 71 other former officers into a company of mounted volunteers under Iles. Atkinson decided not to pursue Black Hawk until further militia reinforcements arrived on June 15. On June 6, 1832 Captain Iles' company, including Lincoln, began the march to Dixon's Ferry, they arrived during the afternoon of June 7. The men arrived back in Dixon's Ferry on June 13 and on June 16 Anderson mustered them out of service at Fort Wilbourn. Before the end of the war Lincoln and the units he was attached to were mustered out of service and Lincoln re-enlisted twice. On June 16 he was mustered out of Iles' company, and from that day until July 10 Lincoln served as a private in Captain Jacob Early's independent company. Later, Lincoln told William Herndon, "I was out of work and there being no danger of more fighting, I could do nothing better than enlist again."
On June 26, 1832, the morning after the Second Battle of Kellogg's Grove, members of the company of Captain Jacob M. Early arrived at Kellogg's Grove to help bury the dead. Lincoln assisted with the burial. He later said of the experience:
I remember just how those men looked as we rode up the little hill where their camp was. The red light of the morning sun was streaming upon them as they lay head towards us on the ground. And every man had a round red spot on top of his head, about as big as a dollar where the redskins had taken his scalp. It was frightful, but it was grotesque, and the red sunlight seemed to paint everything all over. I remember one man had on buckskin breeches.
Early's company, along with Lincoln, remained at Kellogg's Grove until June 28 when they began their march back to Dixon's Ferry, reaching the ferry sometime around 6 a.m. on June 29. On July 10, 1832 Atkinson decided he had too many men and mustered Early's company out of service, Lincoln's military career ended less than three months after it began. Lincoln's horse, along with a comrade's, was stolen the night before he was discharged from service and he made his way back to New Salem mostly on foot
In 1859, Lincoln referred to his service during the Black Hawk War fondly, noting his election as captain as one of the proudest moments in his life. He had earlier made one tongue-in-cheek remark concerning his Black Hawk War service during an 1848 speech before the U.S. Congress in which he referenced his Black Hawk War service, mentioning the Battle of Stillman's Run by name, saying:
By the way Mr. Speaker, did you know that I am a military hero? Yes sir, in the days of the Black Hawk War I fought, bled and came away . . . I was not at Stillman's defeat, but I was about as near it as Cass was Hull's surrender, and, like him, I saw the place very soon afterwards . . . If he saw any live, fighting Indians, it was more than I did; but I had a good many bloody struggles with the mosquitoes, and although I never fainted from the loss of blood, I can truly say I was often very hungry.
There is one other interesting aspect of Lincoln's service. According to a story in the “Democratic Watchman” newspaper from Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, July 30, 1886: “Jefferson Davis, as an officer in the Black Hawk war, administered the oath of allegiance to Abraham Lincoln, entering the service as a lieutenant.” Who knows if this is accurate (since it doesn't seem to be referred to prominently elsewhere)? Jefferson Davis did arrive at the end of the war. David was ordered by his father-in-law, Colonel Zachary Taylor, to escort a prisoner, the captured Chief Black Hawk, and in his autobiography, Black Hawk said that he was treated very fairly by Davis.