The Black Hawk War
Black Hawk with his band now removed to Iowa near the mouth of the Des
Moines River, at the site of the abandoned Fort Madison. Neapope, second
in command, took a trip to Malden, Canada, and upon his return in the fall
of 1831, told Black Hawk that he would receive assistance from the
British.
The Prophet, whose village on Rock River was where Prophely $3 something
yesterdaytstown, Illinois, now is, and who had great influence over Black
Hawk, also sent word that the Ottawas, Chippewas, Pottawatomies and
Winnebagoes would be with him and would render aid. Black Hawk after
receiving these messages said: "We are to be happy once more." Black Hawk
now directed all his efforts to getting together his warriors in
anticipation of his march to his old village and its occupation, and
prepared for an attack by the Americans should they again undertake to
drive him away. The army through spies was kept informed of Black Hawk's
actions, and early in April, Keokuk sent to Fort Armstrong a warning that
Black Hawk was about to commence his march to reoccupy his old village.
Again messengers were sent out from Fort Armstrong to warn the settlers of
their danger and advising them to seek shelter at once, either at Fort
Armstrong or in the stockade which had been erected around the trading
store of Davenport and Farnham. The most daring and persevering of these
messengers was
Judge John W. Spencer. On foot he traveled as far as Dixon, going from
cabin to cabin sounding the alarm and advising the settlers to seek
protection. We cannot realize today the wild excitement and dread despair
the news of an Indian uprising caused among our pioneer settlers. Few if
any had horses to use in carrying their families and goods. Oxen were the
beasts of burden and the settlers were obliged to take what little they
could and carry it on their persons. John Wakefield, in his history of the
Black Hawk War written in 1834, gives an amusing sketch of the excitement
attendant upon the news of the expected Indian attack. He says: "In the
eastern part of the state the people were as much alarmed as in the
northwest. During one of the many false alarms that `The Indians are
coming' a family was living near the Iroquois River that had no horses but
a large family of small children. The father and mother each took a child
and the rest were directed to follow on foot as fast as possible. The
eldest daughter also carried one of the children that was not able to keep
up. They fled to the river where they had to cross. The father had to
carry over all the children at different times as the stream was high and
so rapid the mother and daughter could not stem the current with such a
bur-den. When they all, as they thought, had got over they started when
the cry of poor little Susan was heard on the opposite bank asking if they
were not going to take her with them. The frightened father again prepared
to plunge into the strong current for his child, when the mother, seeing
it, cried out: "Never mind Susan! We have succeeded in getting ten over
which is more than we expected at first and we can better spare Susan than
you, my dear.' So poor Susan, who was only about four years old, was left
to the mercy of the frightful savages." But little Susan came off unhurt,
as one of the neighbors who was out hunting came along and took charge of
her.
See: The Turkey Scare
The 6th of April, 1832, Black Hawk, with about 1,000 Indians, including
warriors, women, old men and children, together with all their
possessions, crossed the Mississippi at Yellow Banks (Oquawka) and
leisurely proceeded up the east bank of the river to Rock River and thence
up that river opposite to his old village where he camped the night of
April 12. The next morning he started for the Prophet's village with the
intention, as he said, "to make corn." There is and always has been a
question whether Black Hawk, when he crossed the Mississippi River and
invaded Illinois in 1832, intended attacking the Americans, or merely
again occupying his village with the intention of resisting forcible
removal, or whether he intended going to the Prophet's village merely to
raise a crop. If he wanted merely to raise a crop, he could have done that
as easily at the mouth of the Des Moines River as at Prophetstown. From
Black Hawk's biography we learn that the trip to Prophetstown was part of
his plan to again get control of the site of his ancient village and his
cornfields. He tells us that while at the Des Moines "I concluded that I
had better keep my band together, and recruit as many more as possible, so
that I would be prepared to make the attempt to rescue my village in the
spring." He then, as he says, "tried to recruit braves from Keokuk's
band," and "requested my people to rendezvous at that place, and sent out
soldiers to bring in the warriors, and stationed my sentinels in a
position to prevent any from moving up until all were ready."
The taking with him his women, children and old men would indicate that he
did not on that trip contemplate war, as no Indian war party ever carries
with it the women or children. Black Hawk undoubtedly intended taking his
women and children to the Prophet's village, there to leave them to make a
crop, and during the summer continue his recruiting and possibly in the
fall occupy his village. For had he intended going to war at once he would
have stopped at his village and there made his defense.
At Yellowbanks the Prophet met Black Hawk, and made a talk to his braves,
telling them "that as long as they were peaceable, the Americans would not
dare molest them. That we were not yet ready to act otherwise. We must
wait until we ascend Rock River and receive our reinforcements and we will
then be able to withstand an army."
Source: Historic Rock Island County, pub. Kramer & Company, Rock Island, Illinois, 1908